I'm the One You Love to Hate
by Juuromaru
Summary: Liz and Jane are 1st years at College, Will and Charlie 2nd years. Their sisters are now their apartment mates. Mrs. and Mr. Bennet are now their pushy R.A. and her goofy boyfriend. Watch as Fate wickedly throws our favorite pair together again and again.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife," Elizabeth read out loud solemnly as she stepped off the UC Santa Cruz bus. She then made a face and said, "What kind of crap is this?" As she walked, she began to flip through the book rapidly. She grimaced more, her greenish hazel eyes dashing back and forth across the pages. Her long, dark brown hair moved slightly in the warm summer breeze. She wore a light grey, spaghetti strapped tank-top with baggy, dark green cargoes. In contrast to her simple, rather raggedy outfit, the teenager wore black elegant, lace up boots that mostly hid under the pants and had the heels a couple inches high. Hanging from the arm that held the book in question was a plastic bag the proudly bore the UCSC name and a cartoony, yellow slug. The bag itself contained more literature books and textbooks.

"I thought you liked stories like that, with all the mushy lovey-dovey junk in it," Jane said as she stepped off the bus after her sister. Her fair, blonde shoulder-length hair was half down, the other half tied up in a pony-tail. She had cool, dark blue eyes that always seemed to be deeply in thought. A navy blue sundress with a tiny pink flower pattern trimming the skirt fit her form nicely and fell to the length of her knees. Matching sandals that were scruffy from use were strapped around her bare feet. She carried a matching bag to Elizabeth's, as they had just returned from the on-campus bookstore. After a second, she added, "Especially the ones set in the past, I mean Pride and Prejudice was written almost 200 years ago, that's pretty old."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth sighed. "Jane, there's a difference between a story being _based_ in a past time period and it being written in that time period. I mean, listen to this: Affectation of candour is common enough; one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design" She shook her head again, snapping the book shut and hastily threw it back into her bag. "I need an Oxford Dictionary just to stumble my way through that one line, think of how much fun the entire book will be. No one talks like that anymore. Besides, all these old books are just dripping with messed-up junk about gender roles, the men being testosterone-y and the women hiding behind fans, going 'tee-hee.'" Her tone was getting huffy and annoyed as she continued. "I like stories with more substance then that. Oh sure, the men can still be men, but the women have brains and there's more dialogue than 'My hero!' You know, they have conversations, they flirt, they have confrontations... witty banter..." She trailed off, her irritated demeanor having vanished and instead a small smile playing across her face as her mind went else where.

Jane rolled her eyes as she said, "I still can't see how you managed to be the romantic one of the two of us, Liz, and still have such a flighty temper."

"I don't have a temper," the brunette answered calmly as the two walked side by side, "I'm just passionate."

"Well, Miss Passionate, you have to read the book for your literature class anyway, so you at least should give it a try. Maybe it's not as bad as you think it will be. Not all books are the same you know, you could like it."

"Eh, I think I'll just buy the cliff notes. Maybe actually take notes in class, oh the horror. I'd prefer not to fail a class that's part of my major. Heaven forbid I actually do the work though," Elizabeth smirked. The path they had taken from the bus stop had now just led them to Porter College, one of the ten community dorms on campus. They walked through a quad surrounded by class buildings and decorated with several shoots of bamboo. In the middle sat a serene fountain with a pool filled with an array of koi fish swimming about. The girls paid little mind to the scene, as they had already taken it in when they had first arrived at the college a little under two hours ago. They had more preparation to do for the upcoming school days anyway, so they did not want to slow down. That little plaza was there last moment of quiet as they made they're way deeper into Porter.

The campus was alive and chaotic with students carrying boxes and parents emptying cars. There were some returning students who had volunteered to direct this Move-In Day dressed in orange and yellow vests, shouting at the top of their lungs and trying to bring order to the frenzy around them. One could only guess that they did not know what they were in for when they signed-up. Sophomores were yelling at freshmen and parents at the supervisors. Students ran free through the quad, laughing out loud, happy to finally be free of parental control. Others sat next to their windows inside their rooms, waiting for the opportunity to moon any unsuspecting newcomer that passed by too closely. Elizabeth and Jane walked quickly through the mess, dodging footballs and working their way around piles of bags and boxes.

They moved away from the dorm buildings towards the apartments, but unfortunately the pandemonium followed them. It was slightly lessened, however, for most of the students in the apartments were older and had already spent at least a year at the UC. They were still happy to be there, but the initial explosive delight had worn off long ago. They celebrated with a more laid-back attitude. The two finally found their building and quickly jogged up the steps to the second floor. Liz unlocked the door with her shiny, brand new key and let her sister in. "Man, I'm glad we managed to get an apartment. I'm not sure I could stand being among all that anarchy outside. Though it might have been fun..." Liz entertained a mischievous smile as she tucked a strand of hair thoughtfully behind her ear. "But no, I'm happy to be here. Get to hang out with the older kids, know all the 'hip' places to hang out without doing the research, heh."

"Don't get too excited yet, we may not end up with as many second or third years as you would hope," Jane responded as she tossed her slug bag on the floor next to the couch she comfortably slouched into. They had entered a nice, spacey living room that separated itself from the snug kitchen with nothing more than a counter. The dining all, about the same size as the kitchen, was a little further back and slowly led to a hall where the four rooms of the flat lay hidden. Two double rooms and two singles, adding up to a total of six people that could live there. The sisters were sharing a double, and were glad for it. The walls of the apartment, like their room, were yet undecorated. However, they had only moved in a couple hours ago. It was only a matter of time before colorful posters and the like filled all the blank space. As Elizabeth took a seat across from the blonde in a plush chair, Jane continued, "I wonder if any of them have even moved in yet. We were the first to arrive, place felt so empty."

As Liz opened her mouth to respond, a door banged open in the back of the apartment. The girls leaned over the arms of their chair to look down the hallway, but their curiosity was soon satisfied as a bustling, bubbly young woman came prancing out of one of the doors that led to a single room. She had curly red hair paired with a beaming set of brown eyes. She was slightly chubby, but still had a reasonably nice figure. Over her clothes she wore one of the orange and yellow vests they had seen outside. "Hi! Welcome to UC Santa Cruz! " she proclaimed cheerfully, looking the two of them over. "My name is Missy Longbourn, I'll be your R.A. for the year. I'm in charge of the entire building, but I'll actually be living in this apartment with you guys. I'm here to help out in anyway you freshmen need it, so if you're ever in a bind and need assistance, I'm the one to go to. If I'm not in my room, I'll either be in class or somewhere within Porter. You can come looking for me if you want, but usually if you just wait for a little bit, I'll be back in a short amount of time anyway." Taking in a quick breath after her introduction, she grinned widely and asked, "And what may I call you two?"

_My my, lively little thing, isn't she?_ Elizabeth thought to herself. She exchanged an amused look with Jane that said as much before the latter responded, "Nice to meet you, Missy. I'm Jane, and this is Elizabeth."

"Liz for short. We're fraternal twin sisters and we're living in one of the doubles here," the brunette added.

"Oh, wow, fraternal twins? I knew you were related, same last name and all, but that's kind of cool! You two were lucky to get a room together, hope you don't drive each other crazy."

Elizabeth snickered, "Don't worry, we will." Jane nodded in agreement.

A grin played across Missy's lips. She then stepped closer to the two, still looking them up and down. "My, aren't you two a beautiful pair? Oh, I'm sure you'll be driving the boys here crazy in no time. I'll have to set you guys up with boyfriends, to lessen the tide of raging hormones."

"Oh, I'm not here to get a boyfriend," Jane said quickly, laughing nervously. "No, just here for an education, thank you very much. Plenty of time for boys later."

As Missy raised an eyebrow in humored disbelief, Liz remarked, "Yah yah, education is just dandy, but I won't mind if a few boys start chasing me. I plan on going to as many parties as I can handle, and Jane's coming to a few too, even if I have to drag her! It's a shame to keep beauties like us, as you put it, locked up." Jane rolled her eyes.

The R.A. let out a small giggle, "Oh, you'll find parties happening almost every second of the day here. In fact, I think there's one tonight, a college event just for the benefit of you freshmen. Maybe when I officially get off Move-In Day duty, we can head down there. Not sure exactly where it is, but my boyfriend should, he'll be coming over soon. I'm sure the other apartment mates will want to come too, so it'll be all fun and we can get to know each other!" She clapped happily.

Liz mock clapped with her, exchanging another look with her twin. "Sounds like fun. We'll be there!" Jane looked like she was going to say something, but Liz kept going without stopping. "Have the other people that are going to be living with us arrived yet? We got here a little while ago, but we didn't see anyone."

"Oh, yes, one is in her room right now. She's a freshmen too. In fact, this whole apartment is full of freshmen, you guys lucked out again! You'll get to live with people experiencing the same things as you well, except for me of course, but I'm sure you won't mind. And they're all girls, even better! But I got sidetracked, what was I... oh yah, like I said, one is here at the moment. Her name is Mary, she seems like the quiet type. Probably will keep to her room a lot with her guitar and ps2. We'll have to work on her." She nodded her head towards the back rooms, winking.

"I hope she's good with her guitar, looks like we get to look forward to hearing her practice," Jane said, her gaze following Missy's nod towards the hallway.

"And I look forward to borrowing her ps2 a lot," Liz smiled at the thought. "Mom wouldn't let me bring ours, seems studying is more important than playing video games. Such lies!"

"As for the other two girls, one of them is my boyfriend's younger sister," Missy continued, "she and the other girl will be sharing a double as well. They were here about half an hour ago, just met each other as they were moving in. They seem to really hit it off, I'm sure they'll be down for a bit of partying later."

"Sounds good, can't wait until tonight!" The brunette exclaimed. She looked over expectantly over her sister, who sighed and nodded. "Good, looks like we'll both be there."

There was a knock at the door, and Missy trotted over to it. She stood on tip-toe to look through the peephole, then let out a squeal before opening the door and throwing her arms around the guy who stepped inside. He was tall and skinny. _Goofy_, Liz thought, another good word to describe him. His hair was a blackish-brown mess of a fro compacted tightly to his head. His eyes were the same color and sat contently above a rather long, but thin nose. He wore an old pair of jeans, sneakers, and a tattered, green t-shirt that boasted of some forest campsite that guaranteed Big Foot sighted daily. After he greeted his apparent girlfriend, he grinned awkwardly over at the two other girls. Missy had just finished fussing over him and finally turned her gaze back to them as well. "Jane, Liz, this is my boyfriend, Luc Bennet."

"That's Mr. Bennet to you young'uns!" He waved a finger gravely at them. Missy swatted his arm.

"Ooooh, don't tease the freshmen Luc, it's not nice!"

"What teasing, I was serious! And do you young ladies know you have a curfew? Yes, 8 pm on the dot or you go to bed without supper!" Missy attempted to smack him again, but he stepped away quickly, saying hastily, "Alright, alright, geeze, I'm done for now. How you liking you're first moments of freedom?" He said breezily as he ambled over to the fridge and rummaged through what little was there.

Jane answered, "Oh, its been fun. Everyone is nice and UCSC is a beautiful college. We saw a lot of the forest and its wildlife as we walked over to the bookstore a little while ago. We just got back from there."

Luc pulled out a coke and popped it open. He raised the can towards them as he said, "You know, there's a party at the quad in front of that bookstore tonight. You should head down there, meet a few new faces."

"_That's_ where the party is, I knew you would know," Missy piped up. "Oh, Luc we should go too! It'll be fun and the girls are new on campus, they don't know where anything is, we need to show them."

The gangling teenage boy snorted into his soda. "What do you mean, they don't know where it is? They just said they just came from there, I'm sure they'll be able to find they're way back just fine. I thought we'd just hang out tonight, I'm getting too slow to party in my old age."

"What old age, you silly man?" Missy made to hit him again, but then hugged him instead. "Please, can we go?"

"Oh, alright," he conceded and Missy clapped again, bouncing a little bit. He sighed heavily as if he were giving up the world, but then it was followed by a grin, showing he didn't mind at all. "Will it just be the four of us?"

"No, we're taking all the girls in this apartment, including your sister, Lydia."

He made a face, saying, "Oh, not that brat."

"Who you calling a brat, you creep?" Came a high pitched, musical voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see two more girls enter the door. The one that had spoken had the same curly brown hair that Luc bore, only much longer and wrapped up into a tight pony tail. The other had short, crisply cut dirty-blond hair that barely made it past her ears. They were very similar in dress, both wearing baby-T's and brand-name jeans. The fairer haired of the two wore huge, gaudy loop earrings that swung constantly and platform sandals that Liz studied with interest. The one that Liz assumed went by Lydia wore the kind of sunglasses that hide half your face and dark green sneakers. That was were the big differences stopped. They both had an air about them that said, 'I'm adorable so worship me.' Liz liked them already. They tossed their slug emblazoned bags next to Jane's, making a nice small pile.

"Ah, if it isn't my lovely, darling little sister. How are you this fine day?"

Lydia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Can it, loser. I came here to lead a normal college girl life, lots of dancing and boozing and as little studying as possible. I'm not about to let your weirdness get in the way. Oh, why was I cursed with such an idiot of an older brother?"

Luc threw himself into one of the dining table chairs and winked at his sibling. "You know you love me."

"Yah, sure, love you like I'd love a wart. Who are you people?" Lydia quickly and seamlessly turned her attention to Liz and Jane.

"Oh, silly me," Missy smacked her own forehead lightly. "These two are Jane and Liz. Jane, Liz, meet Kitty and Lydia," she said with a wave of her hand in the direction of the newcomers. The girls nodded at each other as each name was listed off. The red-head snatched the coke out of her boyfriend's hand as he was raising it to his mouth again and took a sip, then continued slyly, "We're planning on going to a party tonight, and I know you two are so there."

Kitty smiled widely as she plopped into one of the few remaining chairs and leaned forward.. "Oh, definitely. Bring on the music and boys! When is it? Not soon enough, I'll bet."

"Well yah, still got a few hours. I'm not even off duty yet, just on a break. Speaking of which, I need to get back out there."

"Of course you do! Those students won't yell at themselves, you know!" Luc teased as he poked playfully at Missy's shoulder.

She shoved the coke back into his hands while she said, "Oh, hush. Now you girls have a while before I'll be back, so unpack, get to know each other, whatever, no hurry. I mentioned the party to the other apartment mate, Mary, but she seemed reluctant to go. I expect you to work on her, she's not going to spend the entire year cooped up in that room!" She harrumphed as if the very idea was ridiculous. She then began to make her way towards the door, jingling the keys in her pocket to make sure she still had them.

"Have fun herding the masses! I'll keep these trouble makers in line in your absence," Luc called to her as she began to open the door. However, Missy immediately turned on her heel and marched back over him. She then grabbed his wrists and hauled him out of the chair onto his feet.

"Oh no, the only troublemaker here is you, sweetie. You're coming with me where I can keep a close eye on you!"

"Yes, take him please!" Lydia begged.

He was dragged forcibly to the door, moaning, "Awww, but I haven't established my regime yet. I need to lay down the law and rule this apartment with an iron fist!"

"Sorry, honey, you can play tyrant some other day," the R.A. told him in false sympathy as she got him out of the door and began to pull it close behind them.

"Can I play tyrant with you? I like-" the door shut completely, cutting off the last words of his laughing voice.

Lydia shuddered. "I'm very glad I did not hear the rest of that." Kitty giggled out loud, and Liz and Jane just smiled in agreement. "So, still got some unpacking to do and a whole other roommate to meet! What to do..."

As Liz rose from her chair, she said, "Let's go knocking at Mary's door and see if we can break her out of her isolation. We have time, unpacking can wait."

"Sounds like a plan," Kitty approved. She lent a hand to Jane to help her out of the cushioned couch, and the four set out towards the bedrooms, chatting and laughing.

* * *

A/N: Hi! Hope you liked my first chapter. I know its kind of short, I hate writing first chapters, I never know how to start. Not to fear though, the rest of the chapters will be longer. Mostly got a lot of introducing people out of the way here first. Darcy and Bingley will be making an appearance next chapter, so be patient and enjoy! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Liz leaned up against a huge boulder that was trying to pretend to be a statue, or maybe a monument, in the middle of the square. Her chest was sore from laughter and she was breathing hard and sweating. She had just retreated from the dance floor where she had spent the last hour moving energetically to whatever music burst out of the booming speakers hanging overhead. She had not cared whether she liked the song or not, she was just having fun. But now the newly-made college student needed a break to catch her breath and rest her feet, at least for a moment.

She glanced around, taking in the bouncing scene before her. The quad had changed a lot from the way it had looked when she had bought her books earlier. Obviously, all the stores and offices were still there. Bay Tree Bookstore and the Career Center stood proudly to Liz's right, both locked up and lights out, closed for the night. To her right was Joe's Pizza, shut up tightly as well. While this set of buildings had been very prominent during the day, they were practically hidden now under the swelling mass of students. Also to her left was massive set of stairs that looped in on themselves as they rose and lead to the Student Union on the second floor. While that section was still open, it was not being used for its originally intended purpose. What inhabited the large room at the moment was an impressive sound system being energetically operated by some DJ. Hanging almost precariously out the Union's windows was a set of very large speakers that blared out the frantically changing music into the plaza below. At the top of all the building were bright spotlights that shined down in many different colors onto the crowd.

As for the partygoers themselves, many were still taking joy in the wild dancing Liz had been part of just moments before. Others were off to the side, either making new friends or talking to long lost ones, the ones they had not seen since elementary school perhaps. There was much passing around of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, some of which Liz did not recognize nor did she care to. She had never been a fan of the whole drug scene. She had blatantly refused the junk several times already that night, but in polite way. She was not going to let the disgusting habit put a damper on her fun tonight or her fresh social life if she could help it.

As she scanned the crowds, the first people she could identify were Kitty and Lydia. She smiled at the pair, which at the moment were dancing in the middle of a bunch of boys and shamelessly flirting without stopping for a breath. It did not seem like they needed it. From the little time she had spent with the two earlier that day, Liz had already discerned it was going to be an... interesting school year. Lydia's major was undecided at this time; she was going to experiment in a few classes all around and see what she liked the best. She had also informed Liz earnestly that she was keen on experimenting with the college's population of boys as well. As for Kitty's major, she was firmly set on signing up with the Psychology department later this week. Liz had been surprised at this choice, but then figured that decision would not stick for long considering the girl's attitude. In fact, the brunette imagined that Kitty would be "firmly" sticking with a LOT of majors in her college career. It had quickly become apparent that Kitty was just as boy crazy as her new roommate. Judging by the crowd that surrounded them, their standards were not very high. Liz shrugged to herself, still smiling. _At least there is hope they'll weed out the grime and sludge, the creeps and losers that fill the male dating pool._ She felt no guilt in thinking such a thought. Lydia and Kitty seemed to know what they were doing and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. She was not going spoil things for them.

Her eyes left the pair and the surging masses that surrounded them. After taking in more faces she did not recognize, she came to one she just barely knew. Mary sat on a bench in a corner, looking around at everything uncomfortably. The Asian was shorter than the rest of the girls. She had long black messy hair that was held back in a loose bun that hung at the nape of her neck. The color of her eyes was unknown, as they were concealed behind the long bangs that fell halfway down her face. Mary was casually dressed in an oversized purple t-shirt and a flannel jacket, with black sweats and slip-on shoes to top off the ensemble.

In contrast to Kitty and Lydia who had talked up a storm all afternoon, this one had hardly uttered a sound since they had come knocking at her bedroom door. She had been tuning her guitar when they had burst into her room and had seemed shocked at the greeting. Since then, however, her emotions had remained guarded almost as closely as any speech. They had gotten a reaction out of her when they had brought up the party. Unfortunately, that reaction had been refusal, and a weak one at that. However, under the friendly assault of four of her five new housemates, she had finally given in and accepted. Even gave them a smirk, however tiny and halfhearted it had been. Now she sat there, looking like a scared rabbit in the corner of a confining cage.

Liz sighed. Not wanting to regret being partly responsible for bringing her to this party, she started walking over to the girl. She knew little of her anyway. Beyond owning a guitar and ps2, all Liz had learned from her was that she was a Music major. She had remarked that that sounded exciting when she first heard it, but only got a nod in response followed by silence. Well, Liz would just use the time now to fill in the gaps in her mind of Mary's personality. She waved at the musician as she approached. Almost to her surprise, Mary smiled in a kind of relieved way and scooted over so Liz could sit next to her.

"How's it going, rock star?" Liz asked as she eased herself down on the bench.

"Oh, I'm no rock star," Mary answered quickly, looking down at her feet and shuffling them a little. "I just like to play my guitar sometimes, that's all. It's just a way for me to relax. It's not like-"

"Hey, easy easy," the taller of the two cut her off. "I was just making a joke when I called you that, and a rather feeble one if I do say so myself. You know, a little ice breaker. Besides, I'm sure you're great at it. You're not majoring in music for nothing."

The guitarist let out a soft, quick exhale that Liz assumed was some form a laughter. Not much, but at least it seemed she was getting somewhere. "I just signed up for that major because I didn't seem to fit in anywhere else. We'll see how long it lasts before they kick my talentless ass out of the department."

The faint scorn in Mary's voice made Liz grin. "Aw, come on, don't say that now. Have some backbone, girl! I haven't heard you yet, but I know you'll wow the music professors, or whatever they have over there. And if not, they're stuffy old people anyway that have nothing better to do all day than dust their balding heads and organize crumply sheet music."

"You do know that is NOT what they do all day, right?" Mary asked after letting out a little snort of laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just saying, they're opinion doesn't matter. You know what you should do? You should join a band! You know, something with a crazy name like _Lemony Fresh Poodles_ or _Electrified Forks_." She waved her hands about in front of her, as if she were framing these names. "Become their lead guitarist. It's the beginning of a new school year, I'm sure tons are looking for talent like yours."

Mary grimaced slightly before responding, "I'm not really into the whole band-thing. If you haven't noticed, I'm not the most outgoing person. Then again, I'm usually not much of a party-going person either." She looked around at the revelers with a hint of the uncomfortable air Liz had detected earlier.

"I get ya," the brunette said with a sigh. "Sorry for making you come here. I didn't think anyone could honestly not enjoy a party."

The Asian shook her head, displacing a few more bangs in front of her eyes. "No, it's fine. I've never been to a real party before, so I didn't really know if I would like them or not. Now I do." She tilted her head slightly with a small smirk. "That is, thanks to you and our other roommates."

"In that case, glad to be of service!" Liz shared a laugh with her new friend. Now it seemed like she was going to be set for the next few quarters. Mary was a complete polar opposite from Kitty and Lydia. Whatever she was in the mood for, a party or to just hang out and chill, she would always find someone in the apartment who wanted one or the other as well.

She moved her gaze to look out on the crowd again just in time to see Jane emerge from within it. When they had first arrived at the bash, it had not been long before the twins had moved out onto the dance floor. For many high school dances, they had been each other dance partners. It was fun and they found that they attracted more attention that way, which amused them. But Jane, who had never possessed the energy Liz had, was usually the first to break away. When her sister had disappeared into the throng, it was no wonder to Liz where she had been. If she knew her sibling at all, then she could easily guess at what she had been up to. She had most likely been moving from group to group, meeting new people, charming them with her award-winning smile. She had never been exactly the flirtatious type, but if a nicer, gentler, friendlier person ever existed, Liz had yet to meet them. In fact, Jane had been nominated for Senior President their last year of high school. However, she had refused in the most polite way, somehow causing the nominators to feel guilty for ever attempting to put such a burden on her.

"Hey, you two! How's it going?" Jane asked as she approached them. She handed them a couple of bottles of soda. When Liz scrutinized at them with suspicion, Jane assured her, "Don't worry, I just got them out of a vending machine. There are no unwanted foreign substances in them."

That was enough for Liz. She unscrewed the top and started chugging her Sprite down. She had not realized how thirsty she was. As she downed half the bottle, Mary just studied her Dr. Pepper as she answered quietly, "It's going alright. Just decided I'm going to avoid most parties now. But to be fair, I don't COMPLETELY hate it here."

"That's cool," the blonde responded, drinking from her own bottle of purified water. She crammed herself in between the two seated girls, nearly pushing Liz off the edge. As Liz elbowed her in retaliation, she continued, "Yah, I enjoy the occasional party myself, but I don't need 'em. I'll probably be a hermit and hide in the apartment a lot with you, studying or something. We can keep each other company."

Liz finally pulled the soda away from her lips. "So you say. But I'll bet you've already made all friendly-like with half the students on campus."

"Don't be silly!" Jane argued, quirking an eyebrow. "It's more like... one third of the student body. I'll get to work on the other two-thirds tomorrow. Got to plan these things carefully and slowly, you know," she joked.

Mary just grinned as she continued to stare at her soda. Liz rolled her eyes before saying, "Always you with the planning and being careful. How many times do I have to tell you, you have to be quick and devastating when you plot for world domination. And don't tell me that's not what you're scheming, that innocent smile may have everyone else fooled, but not me."

"Someone say something about world domination?" Luc's voice called out. The three looked up to see him approaching with his arm around Missy's shoulders, and hers wrapped firmly around his waist. The couple stopped before the seated girls, and Luc grinned down at them. "I'm always down for a bit of world domination. Not too much though. In fact, I'd be happy with just country domination, much smaller and easier to manage. That's not asking for too much, I think."

"Lydia was right, you are a weirdo," Liz commented, but her teasing tone in her voice took away any sting the comment may have contained.

The lanky boy answered, "Pfffft, don't listen to everything that pipsqueak says. She's just trying to undermine me. Simply put, I'm awesome, but I'm sure you already figured that out."

"Oh, hush," Missy pinched his arm playfully. She then swerved her head to look down at her apartment mates as well. "How goes the party, girls? Meet any eligible bachelors yet? Get any phone numbers? Punch any creeps yet? Need me to punch them for you? Oh, these things are always so much fun!"

"Like I said earlier, I'm just here for the food and dance," Jane stated as she took another swallow from her water. Mary nodded her head in agreement as the blond added, "No boys for me, thank you very much. Just at this school to study."

Liz whispered in Missy's direction loud enough for everyone to hear, "I'm still working on her."

The red-head laughed and said, "Come now, did you see how many heads you two turned while dancing? You can't swear off boys completely, you have so much potential! And I will vouch that they have their uses." She snuggled in closer to her boyfriend.

"Well, I'm very... happy for you," she said resignedly, wrinkling her nose slightly. "But I think I'll just pass."

"Your loss!" the R.A. shrugged, then her eyes dashed over to Liz. "What about you? Surely you've picked out a few you wouldn't mind snagging."

"I won't say I'm not interested... but the guys here just seem so... I don't know. I'll say a lot of them are nice, but my guy needs to be more than that. For one thing, he needs not to smoke or be stoned every waking hour of the day. That easily crosses off almost every guy here, I'll bet. Besides, most of them have half a dozen girls hanging off them already. My boyfriend is going to have eyes for me and me alone... or I'll hurt him." She grinned roguishly.

Missy blinked. "You're a picky one, aren't you? You have to remember this is not a school for Prince Charmings, just a plain, old fashion normal college."

Her imp-like smile did not fade. "Oh but you see, you are very wrong. I'm not picky. It's just not many meet my... queenly standards."

Luc pointed at Liz and leaned his head down towards Missy. "Oh, I like this one. She's got spunk. If there's ever a poll for favorite freshmen, she's got my vote."

All of the women laughed. Liz responded, "Um... thanks? I'm honored?"

"You better be! I hardly ever-" he stopped as Missy yanked his ear. He yelped, then was silent as she followed it by gesturing for everyone to look in the direction she was staring. A small white campus bus had just arrived. They had been coming and going all night, dropping off students ready to go wild and picking up the ones that tired themselves out for the night. This was nothing new, but what Missy was drawing their attention to were the people getting off the bus.

The first two to descend from the vehicle were a pair of girls, one about the same size as Liz, the other plump enough to make Missy look like a beanpole. The first word that leapt into Liz's mind when she took them in was 'goth.' They were outfitted head to toe in black, from clothes to jewelry to makeup. The classic ankh symbol hung around one's neck, and the other had two studs in her nose and crescent-shaped earrings hanging from her earlobes. The skinnier of the two wore a bodice that laced up both front and back and contained the only exception to black on her: blood-red ribbons. Black pants made of unknown material hung about her waist and swished slightly as she moved. They were tucked into big, heavy duty combat boots that had buckles every which way. Her matching black hair was wrapped up into a crazy, stylized bun at the top of her head. The other, heavier set girl wore a long back gown that somehow did not fit her right. However, it was apparent she had stubbornly made it fit. Up and down the skirt of the dress ran cords of frilly, coal-black lace that somehow managed to stand-out despite the identical background color. The dress barely touched the ground, hiding her feet and making her appear to awkwardly glide as she stepped off the bus. A choker with a tacky black heart wrapped itself around her prominent neck. Her long brown hair, just a shade too light to be black as well, hung loose at her back.

The two huddled closely together as they waited by the bus door. They looked on the party and glitz before them with contempt, a sneer on their lips as they spoke quietly to one another. It was quite obvious they did not want to be here. _Here, among the grotesque commoners,_ Liz mused to herself inwardly. She started to ask Missy why she had pointed them out, but the R.A. waved a finger at her without looking away from the bus. She seemed to be waiting for more people to follow after the pair. If they were anything like these two, Liz did not see why she should care, but she kept silent and waited anyway.

A boy came out after them and immediately seemed very out of place when he stood next to the girls. His hair was shaggy, but had a boyish-charm to it. It was a light, sandy brown and barely brushed against the top of his ears. He wore a grey t-shirt with a silly monkey face on it that winked at onlookers, overlapped by a slack, suede brown jacket. Accompanying these were a pair of dark blue jeans, his hands casually resting in the pockets. His shoes were a wrinkled old pair of fading green sneakers. As he stood with the other two, he leisurely rolled forward and back on his balls of his feet. He said something to them that was clearly supposed to be funny, for he threw his head back and laughed warmly. His companions however, for all appearances, had not heard, as they continued to glare at the sight before them in the square. As he quieted down, he seemed oblivious to the fact that he was alone in his mirth and began to look out on the crowd with curiosity and a small smile on his face. It was easy to notice that his grin was reflected in his sapphire blue eyes.

Out of the corner of her eye, Liz saw her sister perk up with interest at this one. Jane had visibly sat up straighter to get a better look at him. When Liz turned to give her a knowing, satisfied look, the blonde shrugged and pretended there was no initial attraction. But then she casually let her gaze fall to him again, and when he looked right at her, she gripped her sibling's shoulder tightly and hid behind her back.

Before she could tease the girl, the brunette's voice stopped dead in her throat. One more person was stepping off the bus and Liz certainly had not seen anything like him before. He was tall and slender, but not in an awkward, skinny kind of way like Luc. He had a more powerful, yet graceful presence. The young adult was dressed in black like the two women, but unlike them, he actually wore the black, instead of the black wearing him. A simple, long-sleeved button up shirt covered his frame nicely, unbuttoned at the neck. It hung unhindered over his pair of matching trousers. They were tucked into his ankle-high dark leather boots that dully shined with a bit of polish. Liz did not usually pay much more attention to clothing than a passing glance, but there was definitely something appealing in his dark-colored style. He had golden blonde hair that fell down to his shoulders and was slightly messy, but it certainly looked good that way. In fact, the mess almost seemed controlled somehow, as every aspect about him seemed as well. As for his eyes, they were a deep green that had a thoughtful look to them, like he was considering everything. He stepped over to join the small group. His smiling friend spoke to him, and he just nodded without returning a look and instead examined the party. He did not smile as he did so, his lips just stayed in a neutral straight line.

"Like what you see?" Missy asked slyly. Liz turned to face her housemate, but her eyes were slow in following. "They are Charles Bingley and William Darcy. Second years. I have never actually met or spoken to them, but I have heard and seen a quite a bit. Charles, the one with the ape on his shirt, is always smiling. He's a Math Major... like you, Jane," she said, sounding as if she just realized the coincidence, but her eyes said otherwise. "I've heard he is a very kind, funny, polite boy, which is odd in itself, seeing as most males in college are pigs," she glared at Luc. He shrugged as if to ask, 'What are you looking at me for?' She then continued, "Charles, or Charlie as some like to call him, is a natural at making friends, which explains his friendship with William, but I'll get to him in a second. He melts hearts. Maybe he'll melt yours, Jane?"

Jane scowled at the R.A. and protested, "Just because I don't want to date anyone at the moment, doesn't mean my hearts made of ice! Stop playing cupid, Missy, it'll get old real fast. Though... I will say he's cute." Her cheeks turned lightly pink at the admission.

"I thought so," Missy said with a note of achievement in her voice. Before Jane could say another word, she started speaking to Liz. "Now William... or Will as _I _like to call him. I have you pegged for him, Lizzy, and that was before I saw the look in your eye when he showed up." Liz cleared her throat and hoped she was not blushing as well. She would have loudly denied there was ever any "look" to speak of, but she wanted to hear what the girl had to say. "I haven't heard as much on him, but then again, not many people know him. Maybe he's shy, or maybe that intense look just keeps everyone at bay, but whatever the case, the only real friend he seems to have is Charlie there. I do know, Lizzy, that at least marks off one of your conditions: he doesn't have a flock of ditzy girls chasing after his every step. And I wouldn't worry about those two girls. The skinny one is Charlie's sister, Carol. The other, Crystal, only seems to interact with Carol. Probably the only reason those two are here are because Charlie dragged them. But back to Will. As far as I've seen, he doesn't do drugs or any crap like that, another thing you can cross off your little list. Now, he might be a challenge, but who ever said this was going to be easy? Besides, look how pretty he is!"

"I'll give you that," Liz agreed cheerfully. She watched the small group make its way into the sea of sweating dancers and drunken party-ers. As she lost sight of them, she stated, "He does sound rather... pleasing, I suppose. I guess we'll just have to see how the night goes," Liz response contained mellow words, but her tone spoke of high confidence. Still, Missy made objecting noises.

"'We'll see how the night goes?' Oh, you have to give me something more definite than that!" When the girl she queried only gave her a lighthearted shrug, the red-head turned back to Jane. "How about you? I saw your reaction to Charlie, you can't tell me you're just going to sit here all night?" Jane raised an eyebrow that questioned, 'Do you know who you're talking to?' "But... but, forget the fact you don't want a guy in your life at the moment! I can tell you two are made for each other, really!"

Jane stood, pacing slowly around their little group and gesturing as she spoke, "Oh, you don't know anything! You said yourself you haven't talked to him. All you know is what you've heard, and for all we can tell, what you've heard could just be rumors. And if not, still doesn't change the fact that I'm just here to-"

"To study," Missy finished the sentence, sighing with frustration. "You know how much you sound like a broken record?"

Narrowing her eyes in an exasperated manner, the blonde shot back, "Look who's talking. I swear, you're like some insane mother trying to marry her daughters off. It's not like I'm a lost cause or anything. So just look: I like you, but let me just do my thing, and you can do your thing... but not to me." The note in her voice was in no way angry; it had more of a calm, understanding sound to it. Still, it brooked no argument. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a party to-"

Jane was cut off once again, but not by a pushy little matchmaker this time, but instead by an unexpected hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly and turned to find the subject of their talk seconds before smiling invitingly down at her. Liz had no idea where Charlie had materialized from, she had not seen him, or any one for that matter, approach behind her sister. It seemed that none of her new friends had spotted them coming, for they all seemed just as surprised to see him there. Perhaps they had been too distracted by the rather entertaining squabble that had just come to an abrupt end. It was not long before Liz looked past the boy to find Will standing a few feet behind. She grinned at the pair, more directing it at Will, but the golden-topped student seemed detached from all the world around him as he stared off to his side somewhere. It was the same hard, yet mysterious stare that he had had about him as when he had first showed up. Her grin was wasted on Charlie as well, as he seemed only interested in Jane.

"H-...hi," Jane muttered with slight surprise in her voice. Liz noticed the flush was back in her twin's cheeks, but she stared unflinching up at him. However, whether it was the usual beaming, kindly face or that of a deer trapped in the headlights, she could not tell.

"Hey there," his charming grin grew wider. But before he could say anything else, Missy interjected.

"Charlie! It's me, Missy! Remember, we had Math 3 together last quarter? With that teacher, oh what was his name... well, anyway, I'm sure you remember! We never spoke, but I saw you around, and I know you saw me." His smile did not fade, but became a little bewildered. Whether he remember her or not remained unknown, as the pudgy fiery-haired girl continued. "You're looking good, I guess summer treated you well. What brings you here? And how did you ever get your sister and her friend to come? Oh where are my manners, meet my friends. This is Jane, Liz, Mary, and my little boytoy, Luc." She pointed towards each of the girls in turn, nudging Jane slightly closer to him. "All the girls are freshmen, but aside from that, they're all pretty cool."

His eyes lingered on Jane while the red-head introduced everyone. When she stopped talking, he quickly looked away to nod and give a grin to each of them. "Nice to meet you all. What are you talking about, what'd I have to do to bring them here? They like parties, they're not as scary as they look," a deep laugh escaped.

Missy shook her head in disbelieve, but only answered, "If you say so. Hey, why is your friend so bashful? Have him come over here so he can actually be part of the group."

Charlie only seemed too glad to oblige, but when he turned to call Will over, the tall sophomore was gone. Liz blinked and looked around quickly. She had not seen him leave, and from the looks of it, neither had everyone else. Charlie was the first to speak again, chuckling, "Looks like you'll have to meet him another time. He has a habit of vanishing like that. Probably went to find the my sister and Crystal or something. It was a trick getting HIM here, not the girls."

"I... see," Missy responded, looking marginally put upon for having to deal with such a disappearing act. But she shrugged it off and, looking at Liz without trying to be obvious about it, mumbled, "We'll just have to hunt him down later."

When more conversation did not follow immediately, the blue-eyed boy turned his attention back to Jane. The blonde had stared up at him, almost in wonder, the entire time, but if he was uncomfortable or even aware of it, he gave no sign. Charlie then offered her a hand and asked, "Would you like to dance?" She nodded, still saying nothing, but beginning to smile very happily. She placed her small hand in his and the two quickly exited to join the energetic masses.

Liz watched them go and smiled to herself, thinking, I always knew she would be the type to go for older men. Behind her, she heard her R.A. loudly saying, "Jane's all set, and Lizzy's probably not too far behind. I don't need to worry about Lydia or Kitty, so that leaves you Mary. What we need is to do something with your hair." The brunette tried not to laugh as she turned. Mary was shaking her head vigorously, but said nothing. Probably was too polite to tell Missy to mind her own business.

Luc looked over at Liz and she raised an eyebrow in there direction. He rolled his eyes and shrugged, then waved his hand as if to say 'Give it a minute.' She decided that meant in a little bit he'd step in and save Mary from his girlfriend. That was good enough for Liz, and gripping her half drunk soda bottle to her, she wandered out into the crowd.

As she meandered between people and small groups, her eyes searched the faces. She told herself it was just the casual glancing around for curiosity's sake, but she really knew that she was looking for someone in particular. She bobbed her head to the music as she kept to lazy walk about. Then she suddenly came to a halt when she spotted him. Will stood stiffly tall with his back to her as he spoke with Carol and Crystal. He shook his head, causing his long golden hair to flow in a way she found she liked very much. Liz concentrated on not staring like her sister had, planning to not look as much like a dumbfounded fool. She instead stood there, trying to blend in and taking slow sips from her Sprite. From time to time, she would glance out of the corner of her eye in the threesome's direction. Finally, the skinnier of the two girls, the one Liz guessed was Carol, tugged on the other's arm. She pointed off somewhere, and Crystal nodded and the two marched proudly off in that direction. Maybe they had seen someone they knew. It did not really matter, all Liz had wanted was for Will to be alone without those two intimidating her. He was intimidating enough on his own.

Now that she did have the opportunity to talk to him, she hesitated a little. She wish she had changed clothes before she came here. It had not seemed so important before, but now she felt like a sweaty, average-looking mess. She only allowed this feeling for a second however, then pushed the doubt away. Liz had not ever let a simple thing like appearance get in her way in the past, she was not about to now. Putting on a friendly smile, and ignoring the jittery feelings in her knees, she stepped up next to Will.

He had not moved since the other two had left, just stood there and watched the party-ers, which by now were mostly a bunch of drunken idiots. He did not seem to notice as the brunette approached him. She cleared her throat and greeted him. "Hi, I'm Liz, I... kind of met you a little while ago with Charlie. He's dancing with my sister right now." He regarded her with a quick glance, not even bothering to turn his head. When that was the only response she got, she asked sweetly, "Do you dance?"

He answered in a soft, but potent voice the Liz found she liked very well, "Not if I can help it."

Before she could react, he strode off and managed to disappear once again. Liz did not quite know what she would have said if he had stayed anyway. She kind of soaked in the words slowly, confusedly. After a moments thought, she sighed and relaxed again. Either he had a strange sense of humor, or was just shy. She found she did not mind, she could deal with one or the other or both. But she would back off and wait for another attempt at getting to know this boy. The girl grinned slightly, then began to wander again.

* * *

Liz twitched and jolted out of her state of sleepiness. It was well past midnight now, but the party showed no signs of slowing down. However, Liz was not yet used to the college lifestyle, and as of this moment, could not keep up. She was leaning against the wall of the bookstore now, a couple of feet away from the corner. Since that had been the fourth time she had struggled to not nod off, she decided she should be leaving soon. But first, she wanted to find at least her sister to tell her she was heading back to the apartment. She doubted Jane would join her however. Her twin had spent the entire night with Charlie, a look of pure joy always on her face. _All studying, no boys... right_, her mind mocked in a tired amusement. 

She began to push herself away from the wall that supported her when she heard a familiar voice from around the corner of the building. "There you are, Will! I've been wondering where you were, I haven't seen you since we arrived. Don't tell me you've been a wallflower the all this time. Come on, grab some one and dance!"

"You know I don't dance," came a reply in second voice, the one that Liz had delighted in hearing earlier. She paused in her movement and instead stayed to eavesdrop on the conversation. She found she was not quite as tired as she was a moment before as the quiet voice continued, "And I only force myself when Carol or Crystal demand it of me, but thankfully they found something else to entertain themselves with tonight. Besides, the music is horrible."

Charlie spoke in a tone that said he was not giving up that easily. "I'm sure you can find some girl pretty enough for your high tastes to dance with, despite the music. Who knows, you might even find you like her before the night is over."

"Have you forgotten we're at a college party? Anyone worth spending time with won't be here... unless they were dragged here." There was silence for a moment, which Liz guessed that William might have been glaring at Charlie. "They're all drunk and stupid anyway. You lucked out in finding a sane one tonight, and she's not too bad looking, I guess."

"Oh yes, I did win out when I found Jane. 'Not too bad looking' doesn't come close, she's beautiful. And I love talking to her, she's smart, sweet and interesting. You know, one of the girls that she was with earlier, Liz, is her sister. She was good-looking as well, and since she's related to Jane, I'd think she could not be all that bad," he laughed as he spoke. Liz hardly breathed as she listened. Their discussion had to do with her, she did not want to miss a word. "Perhaps you and her...?"

"I met her earlier. I'll say that she's bearable, but nothing more. Certainly not enough to attract me. And I'll bet she's no smarter than the rest of these partying halfwits, no matter who she's related to. Probably off somewhere, wasted and sticking her tongue down some guys throat. I think I'll pass. Just leave me alone and go back to dancing."

"You don't have to be so harsh, " Charlie chided with a sigh. "Whatever, man, you just be bored over here and I'll see you afterwards." As Liz heard his retreating steps, she stared at her feet blankly. At Will's words, she had felt a slight pang in her chest. Sure, she was not used to being absolutely loved everywhere she went, but never had she been insulted in such a blunt manner.

After a second, she realized she was not breathing at all, and sighed deeply. She shrugged off any other feelings of pain and put on a sardonic grin. The brunette then walked out of shadows and around the corner towards the large mass of the crowd. She deliberately walked past where Will stood, and after a second, flicked a hand through her hair and turned her head to look at him. He stared after her, his face still a solid as stone, but there was something else now... shock? uncertainty as to whether she overheard? She widened her tight-lipped smile, making it colder as she walked. Then looked away again as she kept walking. Who cared if he knew she heard, he probably would not worry or feel guilty about it for long. After all, she was "no smarter than the rest of these partying halfwits."

It was not long before she ran into Lydia and Kitty. When she got close to them, she was all smiles and laughter. She told the two of how "lovingly" Will had talked of her to his friend, telling them every word he had used to describe her. At first they were surprised at how rude he had been, but when they saw how unaffected the brunette appeared, they began to giggle with her. After a while the three housemates quieted down again, and Liz told them that she was heading back. She had not guessed that they would want to join her, but she understood when they presented a handful of phone numbers each. The pair would be set for a few months at least. Before they made their way to the bus stop, they found Missy as well. Liz told her to tell her sister and any one else interested that they had gone. After she got the okay, the three girls started walking.

As Kitty and Lydia spoke ecstatically of their night, Liz was silent and nodded at appropriate moments, but did not really listen. Instead, she thought of how greatly she had misjudged Will, and all just because of his pretty face. He was not shy, he was arrogant. His looks were not thoughtful and intense, but glaring and of disdain. How such a horrid man could be friends with the seemingly wonderful Charlie that charmed her sister was beyond Liz. She tilted her head as she stopped herself from contemplating that thought. It did not really matter, she would just trouble herself no longer with Will. It was not like she ever had to see the boy again.

* * *

A/N: Woohoo, second chapter! So how was it? What'd you think of Mary? I know, most fanfics (at least, the ones I've read) show her being a little more brooding than just plain shy, but this is the way I wanted to do it, so there! She's still antisocial, just in a different way... I think she's kinda cute. And how about Will and Charlie? I kinda took a scene from the recent movie, the one with Kiera Knightly, sorry about that, I just liked the scene. And I made Will blonde! I couldn't resist, and his looks are kind of based on someone I know on campus... oh yes, he's a hottie ;P Other than that, if you notice any wierd names pop up in odd places, let me know, I was originally gonna give some people different names, but changed my mind afterwards. I'm not sure if I got them all, but I think I did. 

Thanks, CandyCane and ArwenEvenstar83, for your reviews, hope to see more of you in the future :D Dark Hermit Kaelin, thanks for your review! Yeah, I'm a UCSC student atm, and living on Porter. I love Porter, it has the best students! Hope you continue to like the story:)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I still can't believe he said that!" Jane exclaimed with as much disbelief as she had the past two days. It was early afternoon now, and she and Liz were in their room packing their bags with school supplies in preparation for their first class, which started in fifteen minutes. While Liz was a Lit major, not all her courses were directly related to that subject. In fact, she had opted to take a class with her sister, because it had sounded interesting at the time: Applied Discrete Math. As the time for the first session grew closer however, she wondered the heck she had been thinking. She did not quite have the love of math her sister had. But after a short inner struggle, she decided she would stick with her original decision and at least give it a try.

"Oh, but he did," Liz responded without a hint of caring in her voice as she stuffed a calculator in one of the pockets of her bag. It had not taken long for her to get over what Will had said about her. It really was no big deal, what did the opinion of one conceited nobody really matter to her? However, since the rest of her apartment mates had heard, there had been quite an uproar. Her sister was just as loud in vocalizing her opinion, yet hers was more of doubt than of anger.

Jane's lip twisted into its continued disbelief. "Are you sure? Maybe you misunderstood what he was saying. It is possible..." She trailed off as she tossed her bag over her shoulder and began to fiddle with a lock of her hair.

"What he said was quite clear, thank you very much," the brunette stated as she grabbed her own well-packed bag. She gave her twin a serious look before she began to walk out of their room. Jane followed shortly after as Liz continued with a slight laugh, "I don't see why you're so concerned anyway, I'm not. He said what he said, no changing it and if anything, I find it kind of funny. Now let's forget him and move on."

"Forget who? Oh, you mean that bastard, Will?" came a query from around the corner in the kitchen. The two walked past it, looking in to see that the voice had belonged to Missy. Kitty was in there as well and just past the counter in the living room was Lydia. The latter was lounging lazily on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV with boredom. As Missy handed Kitty some ketchup from the fridge, she turned to face the sisters. Her face began to turn the color of her hair as she scoffed, "What a rude thing for him to say! Why if I had known what he had said about you before I left that night, I would have socked him good for you. The nerve! How he and Charlie could ever be friends is beyond me."

Lydia did not look up from her channel surfing as she added distantly, "Yeah, what a creep. I'm surprised you're taking it so well, Liz." The past days she had been almost as loud as Missy on the subject, but that emotion had passed and she had more important things to worry about, like "looking for hot guys on the tube." She was mostly talking now just for the sake of talking. Liz was grateful that at least one other person was not fretting over the matter.

"Oh, Lydia!" Jane laughed nervously. "Will's not a creep. I'm sure he was just having a bad night or something. He couldn't have meant it."

A derisive snort escaped from Missy as she shook a bottle of Fuze that she had just removed from the fridge. "Just having a bad night, my ass. That was just downright horrible. Hmm, I think he and Charlie live off campus in the same building as Carol and Crystal. Maybe I should have Luc drive me down and I can give that twerp a piece of my mind. I can't believe I ever thought Lizzy should dance with that scum. I'm just going to have to make up for it by finding you a REAL man this time."

"No thanks!" came Liz's answer quickly. "Don't let the whole dancing thing bother you, Missy. I can promise you that I'll never dance with Will anyway. Really, people, I'm ignoring what he said, you should too." Her words indicated everyone, but were aimed for the most part at her cross R.A. "I mean, come on, who would take offence over what he said anyway? I rejoice at the fact that I'm only _bearable_ in his... noble eyes, and that I won't be _attracting_ him anytime soon, as much of a catch as he seems. Now I must take my halfwit lil self on over to my halfwit lil math class and shove my tongue down some guy's throat." She grinned jokingly as she spoke, opening the front door and holding it for her sister. Jane smiled too, though uncertainly, as she walked outside. Missy looked like she was going to say another cold word or two on the subject, but kept her mouth unhappily shut. The other two girls just waved good bye as the door came to a close.

The two were silent as they walked down the stairs and began their walk to the classroom. Elizabeth had a content look on her face, breaking out into a smile whenever she spotted someone she had met recently, giving them a wave. Jane was a little more withdrawn, her eyes focusing on nothing as she thought. Finally she said, "Liz, there has to be some mistake. I just can't believe that Will would be so cruel!"

The young adult sighed. "You have trouble thinking _anybody_ would be that cruel. Honestly, Sis, you see too much good in everybody and ignore all the bad. Not everyone is as perfect as your sister," she winked slyly. Jane rolled her eyes, but granted a smile. With a small hiss of disgust in her voice, she added, "I bet you think even Charlie's sister wasn't too bad."

Blinking in bewilderment, Jane asked, "Carol? What was wrong with her? I spoke to her, she seemed nice. I don't see what your problem with her is, she and Crystal were very friendly. Don't tell me you didn't like Crystal either."

"Don't tell me you _do_ like either of them! Did you see the way they acted at the party? They hated the place and hated everyone there. By the looks on their faces, I'd bet someone blackmailed them into coming."

"Now you're exaggerating. You didn't talk to them, so you don't know a thing. I thought they were wonderful," Jane retorted with annoyance, crossing her arms underneath her chest.

"Wonderful?" Liz laughed. "Now who's exaggerating? Like I said before, you think too highly of everyone."

"You know I always speak my mind! You just think I'm too nice because you think the world is worse than it really is," the blonde replied, a little less defensively.

"Yes, you do speak your mind. Your mind is just too sweet and censured. Not everything is butterflies and daisies. But I guess you'll just have to find that out on your own." The pair and left the grounds of Porter and were part of the way to Kresge, the college where their Discrete Math course resided. As the buildings of Kresge began to peek through the redwoods that separated the two colleges, Liz continued hastily before her sister could interject. "Like I've said before, just quit worrying about the whole thing at the party. It _really_ did not bother me. You shouldn't be thinking about this anyway, you should be thinking about your new lover boy." She grinned wickedly as she watched Jane's cheeks redden slightly. Whether her words affected her or just the thought of Charlie did that, Liz could only guess.

"He's not my lover boy and you know it. He and I just had a good time at the party. You know I think he's cute, but I only met him that once. I'll probably hardly see him the rest of the school year."

Liz made a tsking noise, shaking her head. "Don't be so negative, you know you already have him wrapped around your little finger. And not only do I know you think he's nice to look at, but you also think he's funny and intelligent. Both very nice things to have in a boyfriend. So just stop fighting and go for it!"

Jane blushed more almost with every word her sister spouted out. She attempted to hide it as they walked on, saying, "I'm not fighting anything! I just don't want to get my hopes up where... I mean, I _just_ met him, and here you are calling him my boyfriend. He's just some guy, and I don't want you scaring him off by talking like that."

"Oh, its not like I'll say things like this in front of him... at least until its true," she smiled innocently.

The blond made to swat Liz's shoulder, but she dodged out of the way in time. Jane sighed, "Sidestepping _that_, I also meant talking so loudly about it. It'll start rumors and he'll hear them and think I'm some crazy, love-sick puppy."

Rolling her eyes, Liz responded in an offended tone, "Don't be silly! Trust me, the world does not revolve around you, no one cares what we're talking about. Besides, I haven't even said his name."

"Still... hush! If you have to tease me, don't do it here." They arrived at their classroom, the door wedged open, inviting students in and airing out the room on what was turning out to be a hot day. As they stepped over the threshold, Liz barely got to take in her new surroundings before Jane exclaimed, "Look! It's Carol!" Wrinkling her nose unhappily, the brunette turned to look where her sister was pointing. Sure enough, there she sat in all her dark, gothic glory. True, she was not as dressed up as she had been at the party, but the heavy air of dreariness still hung about in the air around her and in her outfit. She had a few more colors about her person this time, Liz noted, but mostly deep purples. Her matching backpack took up the seat next to her. She had not looked up at Jane's cry of recognition, so she hoped either the girl had not heard or just did not care.

"Yes, it is her. Let's sit over here... away from her." Elizabeth said as she selected some chairs several rows away from the object of their discussion. Jane shook her head at her twin's reaction, but followed. Liz began to look around after they had seated themselves while Jane went through her bag. It was still a few minutes before the lecture was going to start and the teacher had not arrived yet. The room itself was smaller than some of the classrooms she had seen during her campus tour in the summer, but was still much larger than say, the room she shared with her sister. It could comfortably seat 70 people at least, she estimated. The seats were red and built kind of like movie theatre chairs, only not as comfortable. A chalkboard stretched itself widely at the front, though the girl assumed that was not the only form this room offered of teaching supplies. She was sure the cabinet at the back at least held a projector for slides or notes or something.

Her eyes wondered from the furniture to the people in the room. She wanted to see if any familiar faces that she had met recently jumped out at her from the crowd. Unfortunately, besides Jane, the only person she recognized, and wish she did not, was Carol on the other side of the room. She seemed engrossed in firmly ignoring everyone else around her. _Well, good for her! More power to her,_ Liz thought with a mocking smile. Then an unwanted thought came to mind, and Liz quickly searched the faces in the room again. The second perusal gave the same results. No Will. Good, it did not seem like Carol was taking the class with him. She was most likely here to sulk by herself. _He still might come, he just might be late..._ a voice pointed out in the back of her mind.

An older man with thinning black hair stepped into the classroom. He walked up to the table in front of the chalkboard and put down a leather bag. He began to dig through it and pulled out printed sheets of paper every now and again. Liz sighed with relief inwardly. If the professor was here, she hoped that was some sort of sign that no one else was going to arrive. Liz bent down to go through her own pack for a scrapbook to take notes in. Jane had been prepared with hers for a while now.

As she straightened back up, the lecturer was walking over to the only open door and pulling it closed. Before it completely shut however, a hand grabbed it from the outside and pulled it back open. Liz cringed and slouched into her chair unconsciously as Will appeared in the doorway. He dressed much the same way as he had a few nights previously. The main difference now was a black backpack hanging off of one shoulder and his hair. It was much smoother now and pulled back into a low pony tail. If he had not insulted her, she would have allowed him to be mildly appealing right at this second. His cold, green eyes swept the room until he spotted Carol and he made his way over towards her. He glanced around the room a second time, and this time they fell on Liz. She immediately sat up straight and gave him an unconcerned, unmoving look. However, his eyes only acknowledged her for a second before they continued their secondary examination of the room. He then lowered himself casually into the chair that had freed up when Carol snatched up her bag.

It was as if they had never met. As if his best friend had no interest what so ever in her sister. Well, Liz could act like that very easily as well. And given the chance, would continue to use his arrogance as a point of amusement as well. But for the moment, she would just enjoy her seat far away from the pair and take notes. Jane seemed oblivious to anything but the professor, who had just begun introducing himself and handing out a syllabus. Liz settled back comfortably into her chair and put her attention to the lecture as well.

The two hour course went by rather uneventfully. Liz scribbled down notes on the subject that she somehow managed to understand, but if someone asked her to explain it all, she would have been at a loss for words. She never completely forgot Will was there, but could push him to the side in her mind as she put it to the more important task. When the lecturer, Mr. Tao as the girls knew him by the end, called the class to an end, everyone gathered their things together and began piling out of the room. Jane and Liz were among the last to leave, talking as they slowly filled their bags again, Liz watching Carol and Will leave out of the corner of her eye. The two girls left as well, heading towards the nearby cafe for a snack before their next class. They had separate classes this time, Jane's starting a little earlier than Liz's.

As they walked out into the open air, the brunette noticed that the pair that had her interest a moment ago had completely disappeared in the crowd. Not realizing it as she did so, Liz scanned the people looking for them. Finally, she returned her attention fully to her sister. She was talking about the lecture, and with more enthusiasm on the subject than Liz could ever muster on any thing math related. She could comprehend math and even find it interesting sometimes, but numbers were never as colorful and mysterious as a well written fiction to her. It took her a few seconds to catch up to speed with what exactly Jane was going on about, then she just nodded whenever she felt appropriate.

When Jane's talk of the class went through them ordering their food at the Kresge Cafe and well into their meal, Liz cut her off, absentmindedly saying, "What do you think he's doing taking a class like that?"

Jane, mouth still open from being in the middle of her sentence, quirked her head to one side. "I'm sorry, who taking what class?"

"Will," Liz said, twisting her mouth slightly at the name. "Taking an Applied Discrete Math class. His ego may be huge, but you would think even he could not fool himself into thinking he could ever understand stuff way over his head."

Raising an eyebrow, Jane said, "Oh, you don't think he's an idiot do you?" Liz gave her a look and a grin that asked 'how can he be anything but?' She shook her head, laughing slightly, "Oh, Liz! You can't base his intelligence on what he said about you! And I'm still questioning the fact that he said such things, but that is beside the point. I thought you didn't want to talk about him, that's why I didn't bring it up earlier."

"I didn't want to talk about what happened at the party. Ridiculing him is a completely different matter. I can make fun of him all I want, and I'll give you the privilege doing the same. Come on, you know you want to poke fun at him. Doesn't have to be anything huge, say something like... his nails are uneven. You know you can't resist." She began to giggle as she tried to coax an insult out of her sister.

"I can resist easily!" Jane responded with a confident smile. At Liz's continued assault however, the blonde said, "Stop it, Liz, you're not going to get anything out of me. I mean, even if Will had meant what he said, this isn't going to help anything. You're no better than him if you continue to talk badly of him."

Placing a hand lightly on her own chest, Liz pretended to be offended. "How could you ever compare me to him? Of course, I am _always_ better than him in every way, especially when I 'talk badly of him,'" she protested, making the quoting gesture with her fingers when she used Jane's words. "Don't you see, my insults are WAY better than his! And you haven't even heard half of them."

"And I'll be perfectly happy if I never do," her twin laughed. The next few minutes were spent with Liz attempting to make her gentle, innocent sibling say something bad about the male in question, but to no avail. Liz was unconcerned at her failure, it was all for entertainment purposes anyway, she had never expected to succeed. The rest of the meal was spent in a lighter mood, talking about their roommates and their upcoming classes. Eventually, Jane departed in a rush not to be late for her next course. While Liz still had half an hour before hers, she began to walk towards it anyway in a leisurely pace. It was across campus near the bookstore, but where exactly she did not know yet. So she would need the time anyway to get there and look for where it was located.

She arrived at the Baytree Bookstore in a good mood. The freshman had loved walking whenever she could, something about it always pleasured her. And the surroundings she had walked through had helped greatly, what with the dirt paths and wooden bridges winding almost carelessly between the thick forests that inhabited the campus. She was now ready to settle down into another stuffy classroom and pay at least half attention to her next professor. At least it was a literature class; Liz was happy to be involved in a more familiar subject again. The only matter at hand was finding the correct building. She dug into her bag and pulled out her printed schedule. After she had read the room number she needed to find, she looked up and scanned the buildings. She still saw the same stuff as the first day she had arrived: a bookstore, a pizza shop, the student union, and career center. Nothing indicated where the classrooms were hiding. Luckily, there was not a lack of people to ask for directions.

"Excuse me," she said, trotting up to the closest girl she saw. The tall college student turned to face her. Her darkly black hair was heavily and messily curled, only barely being held in check by a red band that pulled it all together at the back of her head. She was dressed in a long, flowing skirt that was a mixture of many lively colors and a black tube top clinging tightly to her chest. While the outfit worked well, it seemed to suggest she could not decide between being presented as a party girl or as a slightly more respectable girl. She flashed a friendly smile down at her as Liz asked, "Do you know where Classroom 002 is? I was told it was around here..."

"You're a freshmen, aren't you?" The woman asked knowingly. At Liz's nod, she continued, "Yeah, they like to hide things on this campus. I wouldn't be surprised if they did it on purpose to confuse the freshmen and transfers. I know its what I would do! Don't worry, you'll learn your way around here fast. Yeah, I can tell you where Classroom 002 is, in fact I'm on my way there now. I'm guessing you have Literature Interpretation as well?"

Liz grinned and nodded again. She had a feeling she was going to like this person. "Yeah, I am a Lit major, so this class kind of required of me."

The pair began to walk, the taller of them leading the way to a set of stairs that trailed up a hill and behind the student union. She laughed at the response and said, "Yeah, all these rules for majors are kind of silly, but what can you do? If you want a degree, you have to make the school happy, go figure. I'm starting a Lit major too. Switching from History, I don't know _what_ I was thinking there. I'm Charlotte, by the way," She added happily.

"Elizabeth, though the smart know to call me Liz. Nice to meet you. I think we'll have a fun quarter together."

Charlotte made a sound of agreement. "Yeah, you don't seem half as bad as any of the newbies. 'Course, I just met you, so we'll see how you fair. If nothing else, it'll be nice to have someone to copy notes off of in class," she said with a small wink.

"Hey, if anyone going to be copying notes, its me!" She said with a chortle. "Hey, were you at the party here a few nights ago? I don't remember seeing you."

Shaking her head sadly, the obsidian haired girl said, "No, unfortunately. I wanted to enjoy at least one night of drunken dancing bliss without having to worry about when the next essay was due or how I did on the last final, but I could not make it. Family junk, you know. Oh well, there will be other parties."

"And from what I can tell, you won't be missing them. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't let a little thing of say, a 20 page essay get in your way. The party is more important!" Liz exclaimed, and Charlotte nodded her head enthusiastically, followed by the pair laughing. After a pause, Liz asked cautiously, "I don't suppose you know two boys by the name of Charlie and Will?"

"Do I ever! There in the same year as me. Shared a few general ed classes with them last year. Charlie's cool, but he's been unfortunately cursed by his witch of a sister and her friend. I've seen Will around, but haven't talked to him much. Why, what about them?"

With a shrug, the hazel-eyed girl answered, "Oh, nothing big. I have a sister, Jane, who I'm sure you'll meet sooner or later. She spent a lot of time with Charlie at the party, and they certainly made a cute couple. I agree the girls that are in his group seem a little questionable, but harmless. But that Will, ugh!"

"Oh? You actually spoke to him? Doesn't seem exactly like a golden boy, from the sound of it," her new friend commented with curiosity.

"Trust me, he's not. He's an arrogant and idiotic ass." At Charlotte's questioning look, she added, "Let's just say he did not have the... kindest things to say about me. And after only speaking to me for 30 seconds, no less. I'll tell you more about it later, if you really want to know," Liz stated. She really would not have minded recounting the exact event, especially to have the opportunity to impersonate Will in a less then flattering fashion. However, they were stepping through the door to a large building that sat on top of the hill they had been climbing. They were in a small hallway that led to two rooms, simply labeled 001 and 002. Not wanting to share the event with the whole student body in the upcoming classroom, she would just save it for later.

As Charlotte took hold of the door handle and pulled it open for Liz, she stopped in the doorway, something seeming to have grabbed her interest. She turned to face Elizabeth, grinning apologetically. "You're probably not going to be too happy in a minute."

"What do you mean?" she asked warily, attempting to look over the taller girl's shoulder, but failing miserably.

"See for yourself," Charlotte said, stepping to the side to let her pass. Liz stepped into the room, never taking her eyes off the other girl, quirking her eyebrow. In doing so, she did not look where she was going and quickly walked right into another person.

"Oh, excuse me, I didn't..." she started, then stopped, gaping. She had walked right into the jerk himself, Will. He stared down at her, almost looking as surprised to see her here as she felt about seeing him. He composed himself quickly, smoothing his ruffled shirt, and gave her a quick nod. He then swiftly moved away into the large classroom.

She turned angrily at Charlotte, saying, "A warning would have been nice!"

"Where would the fun in that be then?" She replied, giggling innocently. She then started up the stairs towards a pair of empty seats. Liz followed huffily, but was not really mad at Charlotte, just the situation. _Two classes? I have TWO classes with that... that..._, she could not think of a word insulting enough for the likes of him. She sat down roughly in a chair next to Charlotte and started rifling through her bag. This was going to be a _long_ quarter.

* * *

A/N: another chapter come and gone! And thus Will slowly makes his way more and more into the picture :D Glad you all seemed to like Mary. Yeah, she's a sweetie, and has a slightly bigger part in my story than she does in the original... but you'll just have to wait and see that, won't you? Mara look-a-like, sorry, he's not blue eyed, he's green eyed. I always had a thing for sexi green eyes And no J.N., its not just you, everyone else pictures him black haired too. I just wanted to be different, teehee. 

Until next week, 3


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Liz slouched into her chair, waving her hand frantically before her face in a vain attempt to cool off. It had been a couple of weeks into the fall quarter and the weather was being stubborn. _Isn't it normal for it to get cooler as Winter approaches, not hotter?_ she questioned in frustration. It did not help that she had to share a classroom with a bunch of other sweaty students just as uncomfortable as she was. Even with her hair held up in a high bun and a light weight tank top on, she felt like she was wearing layers upon layers of clothing. She sat in her Applied Discrete Math class, attempting to listen to Mr. Tao drone on about mathematical induction. It was a concept that Liz was vaguely beginning to understand, but only after hours of study spent with her sister.

As she fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat and changed into a comfier position, she accidentally elbowed her sister. Jane glared at her out of the corner of her eye, and she returned a tiny look of guilt. She then tried to follow what the teacher was saying as she fanned herself vigorously with her hand again. The teacher, turning away from writing a problem on the board, spotted her. "You!" He said, a finger pointing directly at her. Liz stopped in mid wave, looked a little taken aback, then pointed her own finger at herself. Smiling encouragingly, the professor said, "Yes, you! You get to solve this problem."

The brunette was going to protest, but then decided it was too hot to waste so much energy on such an effort. Besides, she knew she would lose the argument in the end. Grabbing her notebook tightly to her chest, she stood up and started sliding past the other students in the row. As she did so, she unconsciously caught sight of Carol and Will, who sat a row behind her and her sister today. Much to her displeasure, the two had even sat directly behind them. But as no words had passed between their groups, she could not complain much. Carol was writing something in her notebook, her eyelids lowered showing off her crimson red eye shadow. Will stared at what she wrote disinterestedly as she whispered to him.

Finally reaching the aisle, Liz turned from them with a grimace and walked up to the board. The teacher had begun writing another problem to the left of her and probably would soon be grabbing another unlucky student from the crowd to do the dirty work. She set her eyes on her own. "Prove that 6 divides into n(n+1)(n+2) for all n greater then or equal to zero." She frowned and looked down at her notes. Sighing, she set herself to the task, trying hard to keep her mind on the subject.

Never the less, it still wondered from time to time as she scrawled across the chalkboard. The past two weeks had gone by quickly, and she was unnerved by the fact that while the quarter had hardly begun, there was only two months left before finals. She did not let this get to her, however. She had distracted herself by getting to know her roomies better. Spending time with them only solidified her previous views of their character. She, Kitty, and Lydia had gone to the Boardwalk a few times and generally had goofed off. When confined to the apartment, Liz had hidden in Mary's room more than once, challenging her to a ps2 game of _Dynasty Warriors_ or revealing more of the story in the _Kingdom Hearts_ game. She had also heard Mary practicing at her guitar, and she had to admit the girl was definitely talented. She was even beginning to get used to Missy's mood swings between bubbly delight and grumpy nagging. If nothing else, she could hide behind Luc and let him distract the vivacious redhead with his weird humor. She liked them all dearly already and was sure their new friendship would last long after college. Charlotte had also served well in entertaining her for the past few days. The two had become fast friends, so much so that Liz felt she already knew her almost as well as she knew her own sister. Charlotte shared many of Liz's interests and was one of the funniest people she had met. Besides, she made a great study partner for her lit classes as well.

And then there was Will...

Liz chipped off a quarter of the chalk's length in pressing it too hard on the board. Snapping briefly out of her thoughts, she looked at her piece. There was plenty left to finish her work, so after double checking what she had done so far, she continued. Her mind slowly drifted back to the boy a year older than her. She had had little interaction with him since crashing into him by mistake the first day of classes. Even though she was quite content with the fact he had not appeared in her third course as she had feared, having to stand sharing two classes with him was more than she could bear. His very presence was beginning to annoy her. Something in the way he stood, the air which he held himself. And something in his eyes bugged her...

She quickly switched her thoughts over to another happier subject. Jane and Charlie had been hitting it off wonderfully. It was not long after Jane had returned from her other class on the first day that she had practically burst with joyful news. Charlie shared a math class with her. The pair had immediately seen each other in the same room and sat together. Having enjoyed a good class together where they paid more attention to each other than the lecturer, they had exchanged numbers and AIM screen names. They had yet to go on an official date for lack of time and, Liz was certain, out of both being purely shy. _How Jane can insist on being JUST friends at this point is beyond me,_ Liz thought, hiding a smirk from no one in particular. However, besides sharing the class together, they talked often online and on the phone. When Jane was not preoccupied with him, she was more often then not talking about him. Liz listened to it all, very happy for her sister of course, but wishing her subjects would vary a bit more. She endured it with a smile all the same.

The brunette came to a stop in her work again, this time done. She surveyed it once more, almost surprised at having come up with an answer at all, much less the right one. As she stepped back, Mr. Tao walked over to her and took it in himself. After a moment of scrutiny, her beamed at her. "Very good work!" He exclaimed. He turned to the rest of the class, saying, "This is how its done! Study her work well and you might pass the class." Liz blushed slightly, but smiled. She heard the rest of the class mumble and grunt behind her, mostly because it was too warm to make any other noises. Still grinning widely, he informed her, "You may take your seat now."

Picking up her notebook, she turned to the classroom and stopped. Will was staring at her very intently. His gaze unsettled and confused her. She suddenly began to feel very conscious of the fact she had been displaying her bare neck and shoulders to him the entire time she had been up at the front of the room. She had no idea why this bothered her, but in reaction to it, she pulled her hair out the bun quickly and stared defiantly back at him, letting her brown hair cascade down her back. He quickly broke eye contact and looked down at his notes. Satisfied, Liz walked back to her row and pushed her way past the students once more. She noted that the golden blonde did not look up from his notes again, at least not until she had seated herself and he was out of her sight.

Jane patted her on the shoulder in praise for her good work on the problem, but Liz hardly paid any notice. She began to chew her pencil in quiet contemplation as the teacher resumed his lecture. This had not been the only instance of this sort she had experienced with Will. In the past week, she had caught him staring at her in increasing frequency. Most of the time, it was so brief that she had thought she had imagined it. She _must_ have imagined it, she had convinced herself. What interest could she possibly ever hold for such a self-important boy as him? Yet this time, he had been so openly staring at her that it was hard to confuse it for him looking at anyone or anything else.

She was broken from her thoughts only after a few seconds, for the very focus of them leaned himself over her shoulder to address her. She jumped slightly as Will said in a hushed voice to her, "Good job, that was a hard one Professor Tao gave you."

Before she could stop herself, she hissed, "What, thought I was too stupid to do it?" He blinked at her reproach. Jane mouthed 'Lizzy!' with a shocked look on her face. Calming herself, she quickly changed her attitude. Saying with a light, but forced laugh, "Sorry, not everyone gets my... jokes. Thank you oh so kindly for your absolutely gracious compliment and flattery." Jane's look did not become any less severe. Apparently she appreciated this sarcastic side of her even less.

"I'm not one to flatter. I was just noticing the problem was difficult," Will said, his expression held in unchanged apathy.

"And indeed it was!" Liz whispered with mock enthusiasm. She did not fool her sister with it, the blonde's face growing more sour as she spoke. "Why, I was surprised I could even wrap my little mind about the very idea of it, much less complete it successfully. Somehow I managed though. Thanks for the observation though, I don't know how I would have survived the class without it."

After a paused, Will finally said, "Well, good luck on the quiz at the end of class."

"I'm sure I'll need it! For I couldn't possibly understand the material without luck and I would most definitely fail." Nodding with a huge, fake grin on her face, she declared, "Yup, I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of passing without luck!"

Will leaned back slowly, uncertainty seeping through his cool demeanor. Liz could only guess at his thoughts, whether he saw her as more of a ditz than before or realized that she was having fun on his behalf. She did not care either way, she was quite happy with herself now. She knew well sarcasm could be fun, but never _this_ much fun. She would have to get angry at Will more often, not that that would be hard. Her gaze swept over to Jane, who was outright glowering at her now. She could not hide her grin however, and just shrugged. Shaking her fair head, Jane turned her attention back to the teacher.

After the quiz, the twins left the classroom. They had barely walked ten feet when Jane muttered, "And what, dear sister, was that all about?"

Picking at her nails with more interest then she really felt, she said, "I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about."

"Oh you know very well what I'm talking about! What was up with that little outburst in class? All that stuff about your 'little mind' and that you'd 'need luck or fail' junk."

Grinning coyly, Liz looked up from her nails. "Oh yeah, that. That was good, wasn't it?"

"No, far from it! All Will was doing was giving a compliment. What did the poor boy do to deserve that? I would think that would more than make up for what you thought he did or did not say at that party."

Sighing, Liz replied, "His 'compliment' was less than welcome. But that's beside the point, what are you complaining about? You can't say that I was anything less then civil towards him."

Making a noise of dispute, Jane answered, "You were downright rude. Sometimes I'm surprised I'm even related to you!"

"Oh, come off it, you know you love me," Liz turned to smirk at her sister. Before she continue her defense however, she found herself approached by Carol with Crystal waddling closely beside her. The second had materialized after class from no where that Liz could tell. From what she had observed, the two girls were hardly ever apart. However, it seemed like a less than equal friendship, with Carol the talker of the pair and Crystal the quiet accessory. The two dark girls smiled at the sisters in what Liz could only assume was supposed be warmth. She had as much interaction with them as she had with Will the past two weeks. She did not like them anymore in that time, but she had to admit that she did not like them any less either. Jane had spent some time with them, however, and only grew stronger in her arguments that they were nice, sweet people. Liz held back a grimace and her tongue. While she could technically get away with her hot temper around Will, these girls were at least somewhat friends of Jane. Her sister might not talk to her for days if she let a bad word or two slip from her lips. At least, Liz noticed with some relief, they had not brought Will with them.

"Hey there, Jane!" Carol purred, her dark purple lips grinning around perfectly white teeth. "Crystal and I were just talking about you. And this must be Liz. We've seen you in class, but never spoken before, have we?"

"We have not," was all Liz gave in response. She wondered at how much of the whispered conversation Carol had heard between her and Will. Whatever she may have overheard, she hid it behind her smooth, if not cynical, face.

"Well, we'll have to change that, won't we? Jane has had nothing but good things to say about you!" Raising her eyebrows, Liz glanced quickly over at her sister. In contrast to her scowl from a moment before, Jane now bore the calm happiness she showed the world most the time. Her nod affirmed their statement. "In fact, we were thinking wouldn't it be pleasant if the two of you visited our off campus apartment sometime?"

Before Liz could say anything, Jane put in fast, "We would love that! What day and time were you thinking?" It was the hazel-eyed freshman's turn to glare at her blonde sibling. It only encouraged her to widen her smile.

"Let's see, what's today, Wednesday? Oh, probably Friday would be best, obviously after classes. We could serve dinner and watch some movies, listen to music, you know." As much as they tried to stand out in the way they dressed, Liz noted how remarkably normal, even boring, they sounded. Another pair of girls in the crowd that, aside from their dress, were just like everyone else. Okay, maybe they were a bit nastier.

Lightly clapping her hands together, Jane proclaimed, "Sounds fantastic!" Her sister did not quite agree, but she kept any comments and cuss words that came to mind to herself. "You'll need to give us directions to your place and so on."

"Of course, of course," Carol said with that same smile that barely masked her haughty air. "I'll have Charlie contact you sometime soon with that information, as I know how... close you two have gotten in the past couple of weeks. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear about it."

"Hear about what?" Came a familiar voice, followed by the familiar face of the boy in question. He took a spot in between his sister and Jane, greeting the latter with a grin that nearly split his face in two. Charlie had been walking Jane to class ever since they had discovered they shared it. Liz was almost certain he had no earlier classes, but arrived early just to spend the extra time with her sister.

"Oh, Charlie! You shouldn't scare your older sister like that!" The black haired goth breathed. "Jane and her sister will be visiting us on Friday for some movies."

The sandy-blonde's grin could not get any wider, but Elizabeth was sure it would have if it could. "Great! I can't wait for you two to be there!" His statement encompassed both girls, but Liz knew exactly who it was aimed at. She just smiled and murmured her thanks with Jane.

The group continued to talk of general plans for the night, before it descended into goodbyes from all directions. As Liz watched Charlie and Jane walk off in one direction and the other two girls disappear in another, she frowned unhappily. She did _not_ want to go to their apartment, no matter how delighted about it Jane had made her sound. As nice as Charlie was, it would not make up for the presence of his sister, the blob, and the jerk. She was going to be very vocal on that little detail when Jane returned.

* * *

"Oh, stop being paranoid, Lizzy, he is not!" Charlotte contested as loudly as she could without drawing the lit professor's notice.

Looking straight ahead and purposely not letting her eyes wonder, Elizabeth responded in a hushed tone, "He is too! And this is not the first time, you should have seen it in my math class today. He was directly looking right at me for like a full minute!"

Charlotte casually let her eyes slide down the row to the far end of the classroom once more. There sat Will, of whom they spoke, and in all appearances giving his complete attention to the lecturer. "Maybe you're face was covered in chalk." At Liz's glare, she said, "What? It could have been! A lot of boys would stare if your face was covered in chalk... you'd look cute!" She smiled mischievously.

"I'm not cute!" The shorter girl grumbled. "And my face was not covered in chalk."

"Then you must have been seeing things... at least this time." Her friend added the last part hastily at the spiteful look she received. "He's as oblivious to you at the moment as Mrs. Flanigan is to the fact that half of her class has cut out early. Besides chalk all over your face, what reason would have to stare at you anyway? You said he made it quite clear that he did not find you the least bit attractive."

Liz let out a drawn out sigh. "I don't know! Maybe he finds my very appearance so disgusting to him, that he can't help but gawk like a bystander at a train wreck. You know, there's just something more wrong then right about me that he just has to stare and wonder what filthy marsh I crawled up out of."

"Now you're just being silly, _Miss Eliza_!" Charlotte emphasized the name to irk her target. It was what the heroine in the book they were reading for the class was often called. Since discovering this point, Charlotte had enjoyed pestering Liz with it whenever she could. Somehow, it just made the victim feel old when she was called it. "Any boy who would look at you and think you weren't a babe is just plain stupid."

Glancing at Will out of the corner of eyes, a smirk graced Liz's lips. "My statement stands."

"Okay, I guess I did not make the best argument," Charlotte mumbled with a giggle. "But putting your delusions aside, how are things going with your sister and her recent suitor?"

"Charlie and Jane are doing wonderfully. They have that class together, and are always talking to each other whenever they can, though it's mostly through digital means. Their having their first date this Friday... well sort of... Will, Carol, and Crystal will be there too. It's at their apartment in town."

Charlotte pressed her lips together in thought, then responded, "Well, that doesn't sound very pleasant, does it? Why aren't they going to some place nice, like a restaurant, or a club?"

"Well, I'm sure they will, when one actually asks the other out." When Liz saw question in her friend's chocolate eyes, Liz continued, "They still claim to only be _friends_. Pffft, right. You see, Carol actually set this whole thing up. I was invited to come too, but I think I feel the flu coming on that night."

Shaking her head and setting her dark curls askew, Charlotte said, "If those two are ever going to get anywhere, Jane is going to have to be more vocal. Sure, all this blushing and pussy-footing around was okay at the beginning, but its been two weeks! She's got to kiss the guy, or something! Encourage him along, show more love then she actually feels if she has to. If she doesn't, I'll bet you anything Charlie will be hopping along to the next set of long legs that walks by."

"Charlie can't be that bad!" Liz argued indignantly. "And how can Jane be doing anything _but_ encouraging him? What do you call all those phone calls and instant messages?"

Answering as if she were explaining the simplest thing to a child, Charlotte said, "If nothing better happens soon, then I call it a permanent friendship. And of _course_ Charlie is that bad, he's a boy! Trust me, she's got to speed things up if she wants this to go anywhere."

"And what of getting to know someone before you make any kind of commitment, hmm?" Liz asked smugly, as if her question was the decisive point of the conversation.

Charlottes head shook again as she responded, "You're so old fashion, Miss Eliza. There's no need to get to know someone until you're married to them. After that, you'll have all the time in the world to discover all their faults and shortcomings."

Despite herself, Liz could not help laughing. A few students turned their heads to look at her, but the professor remained as ignorant as ever. Though Charlotte's opinion of love and relationships varied quite strongly from her own, their friendship only seemed to grow more. Settling her self down, the brunette said, "Oh I can't wait to see the day you fall head over heels in love for a boy. It'll be quite a scene to see you all new and improved and in love. Who knows, maybe you'll meet Mr. Right at tomorrow night's party?"

"The one the basketball team is holding in the Porter Lounge? Well, you never know, all those boys are so athletic, handsome, and... tall." She said, with a grin that was not completely innocent . Again the college students burst into giggles, though they attempted to muffle them this time. Charlotte only calmed down when she realized that Liz had stopped and was reddening in what seemed like confused anger. "What is it?"

"He's doing it again! Will's staring!" She said in an angry whisper.

"He is not!"

* * *

Liz had many things to enjoy at the basketball team's bash the next night. The food, freshly ordered pizza and a wide range of sodas, while not exactly imaginative, was great. The boys on the basketball team, who had all showed up with at least some form of college pride in their outfits, were all extremely cute and flirtatious. And certainly the entertainment was not in question. The party being held in one of the school's lounges had no lack of activities, what with pool and ping pong tables, big screen TV, and a small stereo/radio set. A dusty karaoke machine that some proctor had had the kindness of mind to dig out before the party was even set up in the corner. It was almost completely ignored, however. Elizabeth did not even have a want for welcome, familiar faces there. Kitty and Lydia were lost somewhere in the cramped room. They had been the ones to invite her, along with the rest of the apartment mates. Liz and Jane had been the only ones to accept however. Liz had managed to rope Charlotte into coming as well, who stood next to her now, charming over the captain of the team with hinting words and batting eyelashes.

Unfortunately, Liz was _not_ enjoying herself at this very second. This was the last place she had expected to see certain people. Among those would be a math teacher, someone wearing a jacket with an opposing school's logo on it, Johnny Depp, killer clowns from outer space, and Will. To her dismay, at least one of the persons on that list had shown up tonight, and it was not the killer clowns.

She did not know exactly how Will had wound up at the party, but she had a sneaking suspicion. Charlie was here, and while he may have been able to play basketball with the best of them, he was most certainly not on the team. Jane must have said something to him about the party, and he must have taken it to his head to show up. This Liz did not mind at all. Watching him teach a giggling Jane how to play pool was kind of fun. What bothered her was that he had elected to bring his housemates with him. Carol and her pork-like friend were by the food table now, glaring out at the revelers. This was definitely not their scene. As for Will, he stood rigidly not five feet away from Liz's small group of three, talking to no one.

He had come in the black slacks he seemed so fond of and a dark, rich blue shirt, button-up like all the rest she had seen. His hair looked much like it had the night of the freshmen party, hanging loose and with that strange mixture of wildness and control. A few strands hung over his eyes in what Liz could only assume was a calculated manner. That many girls in the room eyed him suggested that he was pleasing to look at, but the more she saw him, the more Liz could not understand her initial attraction. With his stiff back to her group, the brunette had no idea what his expression could be, but guessed that it was barely kept in a checked scowl.

"But it must be so hard!" Charlotte was saying with a playful laugh. "I mean, running down the court, trying to score points, trying to just be INTIMIDATING, with that cartoony banana slug on your jersey! And not even an aggressive looking one," she squinted down at the representation on the captain's shirt. "What's he trying to do, laugh the opposing team to death, Ken...?"

"Ken Forster," the boy finished her unasked question with a grin. "I don't know, I just never really thought about it. If I get a 3-pointer one way or another, it definitely has nothing to do with the slug on my shirt."

Tilting her head to one side, Liz decided to take part in the conversation. "But a school's team players must have pride in their mascot," she protested, returning a wry grin to his own. "If nothing else, it symbolizes your college, and that must have some meaning to you, they _are_ the ones giving you a degree after all. Besides, the banana slug isn't so bad. Think about it: if we win against a team who's mascot is the eagle, its got to be more embarrassing that the eagles lost to the slugs." Not being able to feign ignorance of his presence any longer, Liz turned and said loudly, "Wouldn't _you_ agree, Will?"

The tall boy had turned smoothly at hearing his name, looking at her unabashed. When he just stood there, Liz said with a small smug smile, "You know, Will, it's customary when one is invited into a conversation, for that person to join the group." After another second, he strode over to them, looking like a brooding hawk. He still said nothing however, and Liz prompted once more, "Well, _do_ you agree?"

"I don't follow basketball," he answered mildly, but without hesitation.

"Then what are you doing here?" The brunette asked, the little mysterious smile still on her face.

"I'm the designated driver."

"I only see soda here," she answered just as quickly.

The corners of his mouth bent upward in what seemed to be a grim smile. "Doesn't mean there's no alcohol here."

"Got me there," she acknowledged with a small bow of the head. As if to emphasize it, a party-goer had wandered unsteadily over to the refreshment table and was hitting on Carol in a loud and slurred voice. Though Liz was sure the goth's answer would probably be just as loud and more obscene, she did not hear, as she stated flatly, "You did not answer my original question."

Arching a graceful eyebrow, Will asked, "And what question would that be?"

She bristled inwardly that anything could be graceful about him, but kept the teasing smirk on her face. "If it is more embarrassing for an eagle to get beaten by a slug than the other way around? Even if you don't follow basketball, you can still answer that."

"Are we still talking about mascots?" Ken whispered into Charlotte's ear. The sophomore was smiling, but just shrugged.

If Will had the same question as the team captain, he seemed to decide on an answer as he hid any confusion behind his cool eyes. "I'll say that it would be most unfortunate for an eagle to be downed by a slug. But it would never happen."

"Never happen, you say?" Liz said, laughter beginning to tingle in the back on her words. "Well, what if there were a bunch of slugs covering the eagle? And two of those slugs were, by chance, covering the eagles eyes while it was flying? It would eventually have to crash into a tree or something, and the slugs would have won."

Leaning over Charlotte again, Ken asked quietly, "Is she drunk?" Charlotte snickered behind her hand, but shook her head. "Oh. She's just weird then."

"Well, that would be a hard time for the eagle indeed," Will answered seriously, as if they were talking about something as normal as the weather. His tiny grin that had been grim a moment before had changed however. If Liz had not been convinced otherwise, she would almost think he was amused. "May I ask, how did the slugs get on the eagle?"

She lowered her lids slightly with her reply, "No, you may not, as that has nothing to do with the situation."

"But it has everything to do with it. If you can't figure out how the slugs got on the eagle, then your... situation would never happen. Even if it were correct, it has no impact on the argument, since you presented an imaginary point."

Not being able to look at him anymore, Liz turned her gaze to Charlotte with a pleading look in her eyes to save her. She had been expecting to scare off or confuse her opponent by this time, not for him to get so involved into the conversation. This was the most she had heard out of him since she met him, for crying out loud. Stifling another laugh, Charlotte left Ken's side and approached the pair. "You must excuse me for interrupting your ... debate," the obsidian haired girl said, almost having been at a loss for a word to call it. "But I must steal young Miss Eliza here for a song."

"For a what?" Liz asked sharply.

Raising her head and looking down at Liz slyly, she repeated, "A song. You're going to sing on the karaoke machine for me."

"And why, Charlotte, would you want to ruin your ears with the sound of my horrible voice?" Liz hissed while she tugged unconsciously at a lock of her hair.

"Oh, don't be so shy, so modest! I can hear it in just talking to you, you have a wonderful singing voice. Wouldn't you agree, Will?" Her friend now had a shrewd gleam in her eyes.

Before he could respond, Liz said quickly, "I guess there's no point in arguing with you, you little... just give me a minute to find a song I like." She then rushed away from them, making a mental note to yell at Charlotte later to see if she liked the sound of her voice then.

Once she had reached the karaoke machine however, she was in a vaguely better mood. At least Charlotte had answered her unspoken plea, even if it had not been in a way she would have preferred. As she switched on the little contraption, she noticed that people were beginning to direct their attention at her. Hoping her cheeks were not burning, she continued to flip past one song after another. The machine actually provided quite a few fairly recently produced songs. _Must just be dusty because college students are just too cool now a-days for this,_ she mused idly. She finally settled on one that she was rather fond of and had been surprised to find, _Take Me Out_ by Franz Ferdinand.

As the first strings of an electric guitar rung out of the speakers, more heads turned to watch Liz. She picked up the shoddy looking mic and decided if she was going to make a spectacle of herself anyway, she might as well have fun. Wrapping her arms around her shoulders as if to hug herself and giving her best seductive smile, sang out the first cheerful lines.

_So if you're lonely,  
You know I'm here waiting for you.  
I'm just a crosshair,  
I'm just a shot away from you,  
And if you leave here,  
You'll leave me broken, shattered, a lie..._

She fell into the nearest seat, pretending to faint from broken heartedness, placing the back of one hand on her forehead in a 'woe is me' gesture. The entire time, though, she could not help but grin. As the next energetic lines burst from her lips, she managed to spin the chair underneath her and sit in it backwards, her legs splaying out in front of her. And thus she continued to act out the words.

The song only varied in two ways from the original recording of it. The first was that Liz was not a singer nor Franz Ferdinand, so her performance was not as good nor as masculine sounding. However, she seemed to be doing well enough, as she perceived the grins of her small audience. At one point, the words of the song stopped and the guitar and a drum began a steady rhythm, with the steady tempo of a heartbeat. She started clapping in time with it and to her pleasure, so did the rest of the crowd. Soon after followed dancing and jumping to the beat, so she decided she could not be doing too badly.

The second difference had to do with a line that got repeated a lot in the song that went _I know I won't be leaving here with you._ She had randomly decided to change the 'won't' to 'will.' It gave the song a happier tone to match the energies of the instruments. Plus, whenever she sang the line, she would randomly find someone she knew, Kitty, Lydia, Jane, Charlie, and pointed at them with a wink. It was on one of these occasions she made a discovery that made her fumble the mic.

Carol and Crystal had left the room from almost the very first words of the tune. Liz had managed to hear them claim in between lines that they needed a breath of fresh air, but she assumed that her song was just too decidedly upbeat for their tastes. In their retreat, Liz had assumed they would take Will with them. But in the moment where she almost stopped in the middle of her song, she found quite the opposite. He stood at the back of the crowded room now, watching her, those strands of stray hair so annoyingly hanging over his eyes. His intense look in itself was upsetting enough, what reason did he have to watch her? Was she really singing so badly that he had to criticize her so with his stare? But to add to the shock, Charlotte stood right next to him, her lips moving in attempted conversation. What could her tricky friend be playing at? Despite her shock at the sight, she finished her song with almost as much enthusiasm as when she had started.

She placed the mic quietly down when she was done to a splattering of applaud that filled the room. As a pair of drunk girls stumbled up to the machine after she left and eagerly looked for a duet to sing, the brunette pushed her way through everyone, which was slowly becoming difficult as more people took to dancing. Her target was where she had seen Charlotte. She either intended on questioning what the big idea was if she was alone, or, if she still stood next to Will, to drag her away by force if necessary. She found the latter to be the case, but before she could get in a word in edgewise, Charlotte burst out in greeting.

"My dear Miss Eliza! Why aren't you dancing?" She asked, grinning evilly. "And Will, what a shame you aren't either! But I'm sure you won't refuse Lizzy here, when so much beauty is presented before you!"

"Charlotte, you wierdo!" Liz just barely managed not to growl. She fought to keep a playful smile on her face to hide her anger. "I have no intention of dancing! Don't think that I walked over here in hopes that you would set me up with the first guy you could."

Refusing to wipe the grin off her face, she made a grab for Elizabeth's hand. "Don't be silly! I know you want to dance, and with you offered as a partner, Will can hardly refuse!" Liz had dodged many of the sophomore's grasps at her wrist, but she finally caught the brunette and attempted to place her hand in the other's. Before she became within an inch of Will's skin however, Liz snatched her arm back so strongly that she almost pulled Charlotte to the ground.

"_Charlotte!_" The hazel-eyed girl practically spit the name this time. "I don't want to dance, and I'm sure he doesn't want to dance with me, so if you'll just stop this-"

"I want to," came a hushed, deep voice. Both the girls turned to look at Will. He quickly looked off to one side, then back at them stiffly. "I mean, I wouldn't have said no to a dance."

Liz was stunned into silence for a second, but it was not long before her temper returned. He probably just wanted to see if she had two left feet or something. Trying to keep the coldness out of her voice, she sputtered out, "Well, you're very... sweet, but I still... won't be dancing... tonight." With that, she was the one who grabbed Charlotte's wrist this time and dragged her away from the golden haired boy.

When she felt enough distance and people were between them, Liz asked hotly, "And what the _hell_ was that?"

"I was just having some fun with you, can you blame me? You make it so easy!" Charlotte grinned with a complete lack of guilt.

Liz sighed in response, but managed a bemused look on her face. "Can't _believe_ you're my friend. Should have known you were trouble from day one."

"You did, that's why you liked me."

"True. I guess I'll forgive you, but just this once." Liz laughed, feeling the tension of the past few minutes slide of. They went on to talk about other stuff and to other people, letting the night and music, good or bad, carry them away. Liz never looked behind her again that night, but she could not help thinking there was a pair of eyes burning into the back of her. She did not even want to venture a guess as to who they belonged to.

* * *

A/N: And so we see a bit of Liz's wierd side, and thus mine. I've had many conversations similar to that slug one. Whether you find it silly or not, hope you at least enjoyed it. Anyhoo, it's coming up! The trip to Netherfield, yay! That'll span over a few chapters, so plenty of time for lotsa stuff to happen!

Also, I just realized that the page breaks I've been using to seperate parts of my chapter weren't showing up, so sorry to any confusion that may have occured in any of the previous chapters where the scene just seems to change suddenly. Bah! I'm fixing it all now.

Thanks to ILoveIt09, Mara Look-a-like, and J.N. for your reviews on my last chapter. Here's the update you asked for, keep on enjoying the story! And thanks to all other readers to still remain nameless :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Are you sure you won't come?" Jane asked, barely keeping the begging out of her voice.

She looked positively terrified. Liz almost felt bad for abandoning her tonight. But she steeled herself against the puppy dog eyes and said, "Sorry, I'm sure. You know how much I don't like them... except for Charlie of course."

Managing a weak smile, her sister replied in a defeated voice, "Of course. I still don't see why you hate them all so much, I mean sure, they're not the most cheery people, but still..."

"Cheery has nothing to do with it. I will say that it's not that I _hate_ them, it's just that I want to strangle something whenever I'm in the same room as them. Is that so bad?" Cracking a laugh out of her sibling made Liz smile. She was going to be fine there. Liz knew the blonde was a little nervous at the idea of practically being alone with Charlie. _Scratch that, a LOT nervous_, she amended. Especially with only Darcy and the witches there for her to turn to. But no matter how much she did not like their little bunch, Liz believed they would do nothing but take the very best care of her. At least, Charlie would.

"Alright, well then," Jane began with a sigh, "I guess I'll be heading over then. I'll see you late tonight."

With a sly wink, Liz commented, "Or early tomorrow morning."

"Oh, stop that. I already said we're not seeing each other," Jane reprimanded her. Liz could not help noticing she placed a hand on her cheek in an attempt to hide a blush.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll walk you to the front door." With a laugh, Liz followed her sister out of their double room. They walked out into the living room, which was slowly growing dimmer as the only light provided at the moment was cast off by the slowly setting sun. Liz suppressed the flash of annoyance she got again at how late her sister had received the invitation from Carol. True, the twins had known about it since Wednesday afternoon and true, Jane had received their address Wednesday night from an eager Charlie. But apparently the apartment mates had not gotten home until about 20 minutes ago, and of course they could not have invited Jane over before hand _or_ even have told her they went out. _No matter, she's free to go now, I can only wish her to have fun,_ Liz soothed herself within her thoughts. Still, she could not help frowning at the clouds that were beginning to take up half of the sky's territory. Dark, bulging, angry looking ones.

Giving a small shiver at the sight, Jane said, "Man, I'm glad Luc is giving me a ride tonight. Wouldn't want to get caught in any rainstorm."

"Change of plans, Janey," piped a voice from behind the girls. They turned to see Missy leaning over the counter, a scheming gleam in her eyes as she stared at the pair. Liz had learned quickly to be on guard whenever she saw that little gleam. "Luc can't make it tonight. Looks like _you_ get to take the bus to town then walk the rest of the way."

Jane mouth gaped at the sudden change in plans as Liz stepped forward. She asked suspiciously, "And what happened to Luc?"

"Oooooh, I don't remember exactly. Something about a last minute paper to write...? Doesn't matter 'cause it don't change the fact that Janey better get moving if she wants to get there before dark." Her rouge lips curved into a smug grin.

Her frown deepening, Liz turned to Jane. "Give Charlie a call. One of them _has_ to have a car."

Scrunching her eyebrows together and twisting a lock of her fair hair around her finger, Jane said, "Well, Will does... but it's getting a tune up right now."

"Sure it is," Liz scoffed. She then scratched her head in thought for a moment before saying, "Well there's nothing for it. You'll just have to cancel."

"I can't do that!" Jane cried, looking completely aghast at the idea.

_Far be it from MY sister to ever disappoint anyone,_ Liz thought with a roll of her eyes. But before she could argue her sister out of it, Missy had interjected herself into the conversation again. "Well then I suggest you run girl, if you don't want to get caught in the rain."

Jane looked out of the window again uncertainly. After another two seconds thought though, she turned back to her two companions with a determined look. "I'm going. Don't wait up for me, guys!" And with that, she bolted out of the door.

Liz turned another suspicious glance in the direction of her R.A. "So, Luc has a last minute paper on a _Friday_ night? Right. You made Luc stay home on purpose, didn't you? What are you plotting, brat?"

Feigning shock, the red head responded, "Your words hurt me to the very core, Lizzy! I would never 'plot' anything against your sister, you know how much I love her!" However, she smirked before adding, "And would you _really_ blame me if maybe it rained so hard tonight, that Jane was forced to stay over? Would it really be _so_ bad?"

Shaking her head with a sigh, Liz grumbled, "I knew you were up to something. If a car hits Jane because its raining too hard for the driver to see her, I'm gonna kill you. And don't call me Lizzy." She started stomping back to her now lonely room.

"Oh, she'll be fine! I'm sure she'll get there before even the first drop hits the ground," Missy called after her. The brunette just closed the door firmly behind her.

Sitting down at her desk, she opened her laptop with a deep yawn. Liz was beginning to regret staying out so late after the party the night before with Charlotte. But it had just been so hard to resist when her mischievous friend had spoken of her plans for the night. Liz smiled, remembering the shaving cream, the bra, and the look on their victims' faces.

Attempting to stifle another yawn, she put her wondering thoughts aside. It was time to study! She contemplated turning off AIM, but then decided she could leave it on; just set her status to Away. She then brought up her class website, went to the online homework, and started writing stuff down in her notebook. The little clock in the corner of her screen read 7:32. It was going to be a long study session.

* * *

Liz's eyes snapped open suddenly. It took her a second to realize her cheek was drowning in a puddle of her own drool. Sitting up, she wiped her face with a sleeve, feeling groggy and frazzled. After staring blankly at the desk in front of her for a bit, Liz finally figured out what must of have happened. She had fallen asleep in the middle of her school work, notebook out, laptop open and everything. Turning to the clock, she squinted and saw that it was just past 10 in the morning. After another moment's thought, she remembered it was Saturday and she had every excuse to just fall back asleep. She did not even know what had woken her up... maybe a bug had just landed on her ear or something. Deciding the bed was too far away, she cradled her head into her arm on top of the desk and settled down to nap again. 

Before she could drift off however, she heard a loud chime emerge from her laptop speakers. _That_ must have been the sound that had roused her. Raising her head as if it were weighted down by sandbags, she looked at the screen. AIM wanted her to accept a message from someone not on her buddy list. Grunting, she sat up again and pulled her machine closer to her, taking in the name at the top of the Accept message: Cerberus. _Hmmm, the three-headed dog that guards the Greek underworld? Good to see he's begun using modern methods of communication,_ she mused as she clicked the accept button.

Two messages popped up immediately. The one time stamped 3 minutes ago asked, "You there?" then was followed by a "Guess not." Now it said that Cerberus was typing, but Liz decided not to wait.

"I'm here, who's this?"

There was a brief pause and then it informed her that a message was being typed once more. "It's Will."

Wrinkling her nose, she wondered at how he got her screen name. Surely Jane would not have handed it over, knowing her aversion towards him. A thought suddenly struck her and she twisted in her seat to look at her sister's bed. Empty and as unslept in as it had been the night before. She turned back to the keyboard and asked, "Where's Jane?"

"That's why I need to speak to you. She got caught in the rain last night. She's sick, can barely move. We'd take her to the hospital, but my car is in the shop. We'll take care of her here, she'll be fine in a couple days." After a few more seconds, the word "Bye" appeared in the window.

Liz had read the message rapidly and was just as quickly beginning to type out her questions but in vain. As soon as she hit enter, a second window popped up notifying her that "user **Cerberus** is not available." Growling under her breath, she snapped her laptop shut and sprung from her chair, nearly knocking it over. She then crossed the room to her sister's laptop and opened it. She drummed her fingers in impatience as she waited for the machine to load its settings. She planned on searching Jane's AIM logs for the address she needed. Liz only felt a little better when she realized her sister had saved it to a text file on her desktop. Quickly jotting down the numbers and street name, she hopped online and started searching for directions.

As that page loaded, she burst out of her room, the door banging behind her. "Missy!" She called out through the apartment. When no answer came, she ran to the living room, shouting her name louder. "Missy, get your butt out here and call Luc, we need to pick up Jane! _Missy!_" Not seeing her, she ran back to the R.A.'s room and started banging on the door, yelling at it. "Come on, get your lazy ass out of bed, it's already past 10 o'clock!"

All the racket she was making did have one effect, just not the one she desired. The door across from Missy's opened and Mary stuck her messy head of hair out. The Asian stood there for a moment, biting her lip, not sure if she should interrupt. However, finally she said, "Hey, Liz, she's-"

"What?" Liz snapped, turning sharply. On seeing her friend shrink a little back into her room, she calmed herself down and managed to ask with just a little edge of agitation in her voice, "What were you saying, Mary? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over all the noise I was making."

Mary hesitated a moment, then fully stepped out of her room, closing her door behind her. "Missy's not here. She went out with Luc a little while ago."

"What?" Liz questioned, all the irritation returning to her voice. "She what? How long ago?"

The charcoal haired girl shrugged. "I don't know, maybe half an hour? She and Luc-"

"They can't have gone far," Liz snarled as she ran to the front door and threw it open.

"But, Liz, they-"

Cutting her off once more, the brunette said without looking back, "They _better_ have not gone far! I need them to pick up Jane!" She was leaning over the hand rail and looking down the two stories, scanning the campus grounds back and forth for the sight of them.

"But-" Mary tried again futilely.

"Jane's sick," Liz said, once more turning towards Mary. She stepped up to the shorter girl, who almost jumped back in fear. But all she did was place a hand lightly on her shoulder. "Do you know where they went? I need to know, Jane needs to go to a hospital."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" The other responded, almost huffily. However, her very nature took any sting out of the comment. She softened even more as she continued, "And I'm sorry about your sister. But Missy and Luc aren't here, and they won't be for a while. They went to see Missy's parents, and they told me that's a couple hours away. They won't be back for a while."

"Damn," Liz hissed under her breath. She then let go of the other freshman's shoulder and ran back to her room. The directions had finished loading on Jane's laptop, so she set them to print then grabbed her bag. Dumping out all school supplies and work, she started stuffing clothing into it. She was going to try to make sure Missy got there as soon as possible, but she knew the conniving red-head. _I'm going to be ready with some extra clothes just in case the stupid girl decides our visit needs to be even longer,_ her voice grumbled in her mind. She paused a moment in her packing to think, then rushed into the bathroom to grab whatever medicine could even begin to hope to help, even if it was just Tylenol. She also ran into the kitchen, grabbing packets of chicken flavored ramen. Not exactly chicken noodle soup, but it would have to do. Liz returned to her room, dumping it all into her bag. After another second, she decided to cram in a textbook and her notebook as well. Neither of the laptops would fit. With a sigh, she snatched up a coat and threw it on then grabbed the first pair of shoes she could find: some old sneakers. Grimacing for lack of time, she laced those onto her feet, tossed her pack over her shoulder, snatched up the freshly printed directions, and rushed out the door, banging it a second time as she slammed it shut.

"I'm going to take care of Jane," Liz told Mary, who had begun to follow her uncertainly back to her room, but then had stopped when Lizzy returned quickly. "I'm going to leave a note for Missy with an address, letting her know where I am and that she better pick me up as soon as possible if she knows what's good for her." As she spoke, she ripped out some paper from her notebook and begun hastily writing.

"I'm sure wherever Jane is, they'll take care of her," Mary commented quietly. "You might just be in the way."

Liz had finished her note. She placed it firmly on the kitchen table as she stated, "You kidding me? She's with Will, Carol and Crystal. I am _not_ leaving my sister alone with those pack of wolves." Without waiting for another response, she returned to the front door once more. As she opened it, she turned back to add, "You're job is to make sure Missy and Luc see that note when they get back. If you can, MAKE Missy come. You know her." With that and without so much as a goodbye, she was out the door and running down the stairs.

Liz did not have to wait long for a bus to downtown. She showed her school ID to the driver, thankful for the free rides UCSC provided her. After she took her seat, she began to tap her feet impatiently. Why did buses have to move so slowly? As the vehicle inched along, she realized for the first time since she woke up that it was not raining. For such a heavy storm to have occurred last night, she would have thought there would at least be a drizzle. But the aftermath was evident as she glanced out the window. The streets were littered with puddles, mud was everywhere, even some plants were uprooted and lying on their side.

When she finally got to town, she pulled her directions close to her face to examine them. She discerned that she had to take at least a ten minute walk to a river, cross a bridge, then maybe few more minutes to her destination. Not a bad walk at all, but definitely too far for Jane in her condition. Folding the paper up and stuffing it in her pocket, she began her short journey.

She took a way to the river that was the most direct and straight from the metro center. That meant it did not follow any roads, which lead to the fact that when she got there, she was no where near a bridge. She saw one on each side of her, seeming equal distance, one for cars and pedestrians, the other strictly for walkers. The young adult randomly decided on the one that did not allow cars to cross it and moved towards it.

As she made her way to that one, she realized that the sidewalk quickly disappeared and she had to choose between wading through thickly grown together bushes or the mud. Looking at her second choice, Liz saw that it was a gradual slant down into the river itself, very slick and littered with scraggly weeds. She knew she would regret it, but she chose the mud. It was not long before her foreboding was satisfied and one misstep caused her to lose her balance and start sliding down the muddy slope. She managed to stop herself before she got a face full of water from the river, but she was still not happy. She now had guck and mud and who knew what else all over her clothing and in her hair. With an angry grunt, she began the climb back up incline. She almost fell again several times, but managed to hold her footing. She spent the rest of the walk to the bridge going through the bushes. True, she got branches and leaves stuck to and in her pants, but it was better than another one way trip to Water Land.

Liz finally reached and crossed the bridge finding herself in one of the nicer neighborhoods of Santa Cruz. All she had to do was find the apartment complex and she would be set. She had not been walking for thirty seconds however before she heard a low, threatening growl behind her. She turned slowly to discover the source. A black and brown, rather large, rather muscular Doberman dog. It bore a very big, very sharp set of teeth.

"Good doggie," she whispered, attempting to take a step back. It did not like that as its growl grew louder. She realized unhappily there was no leash or master anywhere in sight. "You don't want to hurt me, you're a good boy," she tried to soothe. It growled even louder and it began to snap at her. She knew it could not understand her, but she corrected herself. "Girl! You're a good girl, is what I meant! I did not mean to question your sexuality." She tested another step back, but now the Doberman was barking angrily. That was all she could take. Liz turned and bolted.

She did not have to risk a look over her shoulder, she knew the dog was hot on her heels and gaining. She looked around ahead of her, panting. All she could find were houses, open lawns and driveways, nothing to put between herself in the dog. She started jumping on and over the hoods of parked cars to slow the beast down, but if it did, the difference was hardly noticeable.

Finally she spotted a large building with, more importantly, a large chain link fence around it. Finding the extra energy to sprint, she threw herself at the fence and pulled herself over. Her jeans caught on a broken wire that stuck out at the top and she almost fell over the other side. She managed to get herself loose, but not without ripping a large hole in her pants. As the disheveled girl hit the ground on the other side hands first, she heard the fence rattle behind her when the dog threw itself at it soon after her. It, luckily, did not have the ability to climb over. It snarled and barked at her between the links, snapping a slobbering all over the metal. Liz made to angrily kick the fence in its face, but accidentally got her foot caught in one of the links. Cursing, she tugged her leg back but could not get her foot out before the Doberman eagerly bit into the soal of her sneaker. She ripped it free, literally. A big hole now appeared on the toe of her shoe, her soal flapping openly against the rest of the sneaker, displaying her sock.

Keeping her temper in check, she pulled out her soggy and muddied directions. After studying them for a second, she realized with a start that the very building before her was the Netherfield Apartments she looked for. All happiness at the thought was sucked out of her though, for she knew the inhabitants she was moments away from meeting.

She climbed up to the second floor after she discerned the room number, found the door she looked for and gave it a loud knock. The brunette hoped beyond all hope that a certain someone would not be the one to answer the door. Her prayers were not answered.

The door opened and Will appeared in the doorframe. For once he was not wearing a button up. In its place was a black t-shirt that boasted the band name "Cradle of Filth" across the front. Everything else about his outfit remained the same. His mouth was open to say something, a greeting or a question maybe, but then he saw her and stopped. Liz could only imagine what he saw before him. She was covered in mud, leaves all over her pants, tears and rips in her clothing, her toes wriggling out of one of her shoes. Before he could regain himself, she said, "Yeah, I met a bitch on my way here."

He blinked at her, then took a hand to sweep some golden hair behind his ear. After a pause, he reached out towards her, and she shrank away, glaring at him. But then he pulled his hand back, a branch in hand that he had pulled from her hair. All he said was, "Elizabeth...? Uh... what..."

"Didn't think I had gotten any in my hair. But yeah, I ran into a female dog, Will," She clarified. When his confusion did not lessen, she attempted to add more but stopped as Carol appeared over his shoulder. Her eyes widened then disgust filled them. Liz mumbled, "And now I just ran into another one."

"Excuse me? What are _you_ doing here?" the darkly colored girl asked. Liz noted with minor satisfaction that all the friendliness that she had been displaying a few days before was completely gone. Hopefully, Jane would notice too. The goth continued, "I thought you were sick."

"I got better," Liz responded without batting an eye. "Where's Jane?"

As Will still seemed frozen at her appearance, Carol responded condescendingly, "She's in Charlie's room. He's moved out onto the couch. I thought Will told you we'd take care of her."

Liz pushed passed the pair into the apartment without invitation. "I'll take care of her better. Don't worry, I don't want to be here as much as you don't want me to be. I'll be out of here, _with_ Jane, as soon as I can get a ride."

The brunette did not take in the rather large apartment that she had stepped into. The only thing she noticed as she walked past the living room was Crystal lounging in one of the chairs, reading a magazine, completely oblivious to Liz's arrival. She did not even look up as Liz strode past, leaving mud tracks on the carpet. Carol stomped after her, the look on her face not exactly bliss. Will still just stood at the doorway. Liz saw a few doors at the back, and acting on a hunch, she went for the only door that did not lay open.

As she cracked it open and peeked in, she saw Jane asleep in a single bed. Kneeling next to her was Charlie, gently running fingers up and down one of her pale arms that had escaped from under the sheets. He jumped to his feet when she made a noise as she closed the door behind her, blushing and looking guilty. When he saw who it was, he scratched the nape of his neck and asked quietly, "Liz? What are you..?"

She could not help a small smile. Charlie was definitely adorable. Liz whispered, "I'm here to look after her. It's no problem, I'm expecting a ride for us later today. We'll be out of your hair in no time."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Charlie said quickly. He seemed to notice her appearance for the first time, but just shrugged it off. "She would have been fine here, but I'm sure Jane will appreciate that you came when she wakes up."

There was a short silence that followed. Charlie looked from Liz, to the rocking chair that sat in a corner, to Jane, back to Liz. When he did not say anything more, Liz started, "Shouldn't you..."

"Oh! I'll get out of your way." He practically jumped to the door. As he was almost out of her sight, he turned his face back. He looked at Jane one more time then said, "You'll tell me if there's... any change?"

Liz smiled again. "Yeah, I will. I'm sure it's just a small cold, but I'll let you know."

The blue eyed boy nodded and finally shut the door, leaving Liz alone with her twin. Dumping her dirty bag on the floor, she took Charlie's place at the side of the bed, lowering herself to her knees. Liz did not like how the blood seemed completely drained out of Jane's face. Her normally silky, gleaming blond hair was now sticking in almost greasy locks to her sweating temples. A frown creased Liz's face as she listened to her slow and raspy breath. Placing the back of her hand lightly on her forehead, Liz felt that Jane was burning up. As she pulled her hand back, Jane began to stir and her eyes slowly open. Biting back a curse on accidentally waking her, the brunette gritted her teeth in what she hoped was a soothing smile.

Jane's eyes fluttered around the room and eventually came to rest on her sister. "Liz? You came?" she asked barely above a whisper, her voice breaking.

"Yeah," she answered almost as quietly, trying to keep the worry out of her voice and grin. "I know they said they'd handle you, but I had to come."

"I'm glad," was all Jane said before her eyes began to droop again. Liz stood and stepped back quietly, watching her sister's head slump deeper into the pillow. Her breathing deepened as she fell back asleep. Sneaking over to the other side of the room, she pulled the rocking chair closer to the side of the bed and brought her bag with her. Giving her sister another concerned look, she pulled out her class textbook and began to read. She might be in for a long wait.

* * *

The door creaked open and Liz stuck her head out into the hallway. It was dark, not so dark that she could not see, but dark none the less. All but one door other than the one she stuck her head out of were wide open. She barely granted a thought as to who's room the other belonged to while she looked around. The most light coming from any direction was streaming from the end of the hall where the living room lay. From what she could hear, a video game was being played in there, most likely of the fighting genre. She could also hear what sounded like Carol mewling. Apparently she was playing, and losing badly. Liz wanted to turn back and shut the door, but her stomach growled in protest. It was 6:30 PM now and all she had brought was the packets of ramen. She was not about to rip into the bags and eat it uncooked... though she had considered it. Sighing, she stepped out of the room and closed the door softly. 

She slowly walked into the room, almost seeming timid if it were not for the defensive look on her face, as if she belonged her and was not the intruder. For the first time, she gave the living room more than the quick glance it had received on her arrival. It was _really_ big. It would not have surprised her if the whole of her apartment on campus fit snugly inside this one room. The carpet was a light vanilla color except for some recently washed, but not completely cleaned smudges here and there. Liz fought the small prick of guilt she felt as she realized that was the mud she had brought in with her earlier. At least she was not messing up the place any more now; she had placed her shoes in her bag when she had thought of it a few hours before. She had also thought to change clothes, but had not been able to do anything for her hair. Charlie's room did not provide any source of water. She had just settled for hastily running her fingers through her hair before she had left.

There were two chairs and a couch, huge as well and a deep, matching green, marking them a set. They were placed around a short but wide coffee table that shined from polish. Magazines were stacked on top of it and a glass of some sort of clear soda was set there as well. In front of it was a big screen TV that sat on the floor and took up half the wall. Liz had been right: _Beaten and Rebeaten 2_, a popular fighting game for the past year, was currently occupying the screen. Some posters, plants, and a few statuettes took up the rest of the walls and space, but the brunette hardly paid them any notice. She was now looking at the people in the room.

Crystal had not moved from her place in one of the green loungers from earlier. She was flipping through a magazine. Whether she still held the same one or not, Liz could not tell. Charlie was in front of the window, pacing back and forth and inspecting his feet as he did so. Carol occupied one side of the couch, handling a ps2 controller like an amateur. She would make small whimpers, jump in her seat, frown, gasp and all sorts of things as she randomly pushed the buttons. Taking another look at the screen, Liz confirmed that Carol was indeed losing as well. But despite all the noise she made, somehow Carol did not really seem to mind. Either she was above video games and was playing for some other reason or she was losing on purpose. Either case could be explained by who she was playing against. Will had taken the remaining chair, slouching down into the back with one leg thrown lazily over one of the arms. His eyebrows were drawn together but his face was blank. He had almost had an air of a lazy lion basking in the sunlight, daring any fool to question his right to be there. He seemed to be taking no joy in his apparent winning streak.

When no one looked up after Liz had entered the room, she cleared her throat loudly. Charlie jumped, but besides a glare from Carol from the corner of the goth's eye, she got no response from anyone else. Charlie walked over to her, asking nervously, "Liz? What is it? Jane hasn't gotten worse, has she?"

"Nothing so serious," she said, grinning shyly for having worried him. Of course, she felt that any action would have made Charlie worried at this point. How quickly he had grown fond of her sister. "She's still asleep. I'm sorry our ride isn't here yet, I thought it would be. That's why I didn't bring any food. I was wondering..."

"Oh! I'll order a pizza!" Charlie answered decisively. He nearly tripped as he rushed over to the phone.

With a small sigh of relief, Liz said, "That'd be great. How much will I owe you?"

He replied with a wave of a hand, "Don't worry about it. Our treat."

"No really, I'm good for it. I got the cash in my bag," Liz argued, but Charlie's stern look of 'I've got it!' silenced her. As she heard a voice answer on the other end of the phone and Charlie began to order, she mouthed her 'thank you.' She then considered heading back to the room, but decided against it. It would seem rude, and despite her dislike of most of the people here, Charlie _was_ buying her a pizza after all. She wrapped her arms around herself for a moment in hesitation, then moved over to the couch, taking a seat as far from Carol as possible.

She watched the game of _BAR2_ take place before her on the screen. Carol had chosen Alice, which did not surprise her. The only people who chose her either really enjoyed playing her and were good at her moves or were the new players that chose her because she was at the top of the list of fighters to chose from. In continued confirmation of Carol's lack of skills, it was obvious that the first reason was not the case. Will had selected to play Sasuke, the young ninja with a pretty, but grim, face. The frown of the pixilated character matched Will's perfectly. Liz did not know how to play Sasuke very well, but could see that the boy knew what he was doing. He had no mercy against the lesser skilled Carol. She still showed no signs of being distraught by this. In fact, she even seemed like she was happy, as if even though she was losing, she was winning something more important in the long run. Elizabeth saw the way she looked at Will, and nearly laughed. They deserved each other.

Charlie had just hung up the phone and was returning to his position behind the chairs. There was a moment where nothing was heard but the game music and sounds, then Charlie cut in, "Don't be rude, you two! Let Liz play with you, she is our guest!"

Will did not look up or make any move to release his controller. After a second, Carol sighed deeply and shoved hers into Liz's face. However, she pushed it resolutely back at the girl. "No, thanks. I haven't played in a while, I'll just be rusty and ruin your fun. I can... um... read!" She snatched up one of the many magazines that were piled neatly on the coffee table and flipped open to a page with the picture of cosmetics on it. She frowned, but started reading the article.

Carol twisted in her seat to look at her brother. "Happy?" She asked roughly. When he just returned to his pacing, the sophomore was glad to take up losing once more. Yet she did not keep her mouth shut, as much as Liz wished she would. The black-haired girl grinned to herself after a few seconds then said, "Do you like to read, Lizzy?"

"I suppose," she answered mildly without looking up.

"So you chose to read over playing video games... would that make you a bookworm? Or even a nerd?"

Showing off the page in the magazine Liz held open, she pointed out, "I hardly call reading about lipstick being a nerd. Besides, Crystal's reading."

"Crystal's different," Carol answered angrily. However, she did not emphasize on the matter of what exactly the difference was. "Don't go trying to change the subject, Lizzy. You're a geek who likes to read and do nothing else."

"Says the girl who has stacks a mile high of romance novels in her room," Charlie said behind them with a wry grin.

At the nasty look on his sister's face, Liz thanked him inwardly, but was not going to leave it at that. She had to fight her own battles. "I hardly deserve to be proclaimed such a 'great reader', Carol, and I like to do other things as well. You want me to play the silly game? Fine, I'll play." Placing the periodical back on the short table, she stole the controller from Carol before the goth even understood what was happening.

"Hey!" She protested, looking around for support. Crystal kept reading, Charlie kept pacing, and Will just sat their, canceling their current game. With a huff, she got up and stalked over next to Will's chair, where she steamed visibly but quietly.

As the list of characters to choose from appeared on the screen, Liz did not even bother to look at them all. She went straight for Jeane. Jeane had always been her choice when she used to play. If nothing else, she would be on familiar territory while getting used to the controls again. Her opponent stayed with Sasuke, and soon Round 1 was starting. Will wasted no time as Sasuke threw himself at Jeane. Without a thought, Liz made her fighter side step the attack then the next second she was slamming in combos she had thought she had forgotten months ago. She was holding her own, even gaining some ground, but not much. She had been telling the truth when she said she was rusty from not playing. What she had failed to mention was that when she had played, she was the undisputed champion of her household three years running. It was not long before Will sat up in the chair and leaned forward as he played, apparently realizing his rival was no beginner. Sasuke was instantly much harder, and Liz had to respond accordingly.

Carol was not enjoying the show, as it was taking all attention off of her. After scowling at the screen for a few minutes, she settled herself lightly down on the arm of Will's chair. If he noticed, he gave no reaction. After another few seconds, she reached out and started fiddling with a lock of Will's golden hair, braiding it and unbraiding it, running her fingers through it. Now he was just blatantly ignoring her. Unable to remain mute any longer, Carol cooed, "Will, how is your sister, Giana? I bet you she's growing like a weed, how tall is she now?"

"About Elizabeth's height, maybe a bit taller," he muttered, not looking away from the screen.

Liz heard a snort behind her that almost made her jump. Sparing two seconds to glance behind, she saw that Charlie had quit patrolling. He was now leaning over the back of the couch, resting his elbows on the plush pillows, and watching the match take place. "You just saw her a few weeks ago, Carol. I imagine she's as tall as she ever was."

Brushing off her brother's comment, Carol continued, "Oh, how I miss sweet little Giana! She's such a wonderful child, but of course she is, since _you_ raised her, Will."

Not knowing why she was curious, Liz questioned, "He raised his little sister?"

"Yeah, him and his cousin both did. Will's parent's died early," Charlie offered as a short explanation.

The she-goth began to pull more strands of his hair into her grasp, playing with them more determinedly. "So tragic, isn't it? To be separated from parents so young! But, Will and Giana turned out great. I hope my children one day are as strong and smart as these two were."

"I didn't picture you the mother type," Liz stated, eyes still glued to the screen. She felt bad for any kids who ended up with Carol as a parent.

"I _love_ kids," Carol responded, but it was not with the usual affectionate tone one heard from babysitters or the like. It was more of a fierce growl that came from her as she shot Liz a glare. Her tone lightened however when she went on, "I even have the names picked out for my first one. I know its years off, but... if it's a girl, Lilah. And if it's a boy, he'll be named after his father.. Will!" She threw her arms around Will's shoulders as she proclaimed the last part. He wrestled free from her arms and quickly vacated the chair, leaving Carol no support as she fell into the seat in his place. She pouted up at him as he scowled back down at her, his attention completely stolen from the game. It was easy for Liz to quickly finish off a defenseless Sasuke with a few moves. At the victory music, the tall boy turned to look at the screen, his scowl deepening.

"I think you two will make a cute couple," Liz said smugly to the pair. She heard Charlie over her shoulder trying not to laugh and failing.

"That wasn't fair," Will growled, ignoring the brunette's observation.

With a shrug and a tiny smirk, she recited, "All's fair in love and war, and this most certainly is not love. Besides, its best two out of three, so who knows, you might make a come back. Sit." He did not move nor did his glare change. "Look, Round 2 is starting. Do I have to take advantage of you not paying attention a second time? _Sit_," she repeated her command. He finally strode slowly over to side opposite of the couch from Liz and sat down. And thus a flurry of attacks started filling the screen once more.

This round was going much the same way as the first one, neither side showing any signs of weakness. Charlie did not move from his position behind the couch nor did Crystal. Carol had rearranged herself to sit comfortably in Will's former chair while she sulked at the TV. Will's face slowly became blank again. Apparently the cup of soda belonged to him, as he took sips from it from time to time. After a few moments, he said, "Crystal, why don't you introduce your boyfriend to Elizabeth."

The rotund girl looked up from her magazine, raising a lazy eyebrow in his direction. Then with a shrug, she bellowed, "_Hershey!_ Get in here!"

That was the first time Liz had heard Crystal's voice. She did not care for it. As the hairs on the back of her neck settled, she asked, "His name is Hershey?"

"Nah," Charlie answered. "That's just her nickname for him, based on his last name. His real name is Matthew Hurst." Liz just nodded, half paying attention.

She heard a door creak open down the hallway and assumed 'Hershey' must have been hiding in the room she had seen closed earlier. Due do the lack of light in the hall, when a head stuck out from behind the corner, all Liz could see was a shadowy shape. Deciding she could risk a minute or two to look away from the game, she turned to fully look at the man that stepped uncertainly into the light. Her eyes grew wide.

As college students go, he was of average height and size. His eyes were a coal black and his lips were thin, but nothing special there. Everything else was a surprise however, such as him being clothed in nothing but shiny, black leather. He had a choker collar on that looked like it was for more than display, as it seemed to have a loop for a leash. He wore a vest that was held together in several places by large buckles. He wore nothing underneath the vest, displaying his scrawny arms, milky white from lack of sunlight. His pants were disturbingly tight looking and Liz had to wonder how comfortable they had to be. His hair was the same shade as his significant other's and was about shoulder length. Or it would have been, if it did not look like a rat's nest. It wildly covered the top of his head, randomly leaping in front of his face and jutting out at weird angles into the air. Liz immediately saw how much his hair resembled that of Edward Scissorhand's. In fact, if you had thrown in a few scissors and more straps and buckles on is outfit, she would have thought him to be entering a look-alike contest.

When he had reached Crystal's side, Liz finally realized her mouth had been hanging open at his entrance. She snapped it shut as he asked in a small voice, "What is it, Mistress?" Liz cringed inwardly. _Crystal plays dominatrix? Now there's a disturbing image._

"We have a guest, my little Hershey treat," Crystal said boredly, as her eyes returned to her magazine. "I want her to meet you, then _you_ have to be a good little pet and get back to work on my homework."

He nodded eagerly, a dog only too happy to serve its master. He then looked over the room and spotted Liz. He waved rather shyly. She returned the wave stiffly and slowly, saying, "Nice to meet you, um... Hershey." Her lips twisted sourly at calling him that, but she did not feel right calling him Matthew or Matt.

With a lopsided grin, Crystal's faithful servant quickly retreated back to the ill lit hallway. Liz stared after him for a second, then realized something was missing. She curled her fingers around empty air for a second before it clicked that she had dropped the game controller some time ago. She took in the screen and was not surprised to find that Round 2 over, with her fighter floored.

Frowning, she retrieved the controller from the floor and turned her cold gaze towards Will. "You did that on purpose," she accused.

"Did what?" Will asked. His voice was just as indifferent as ever, but Liz detected that it was just a little too innocent sounding as well.

"You know very well what. That 'Hershey' would... would cause me to react that way."

"He _does_ have that affect on people," Charlie put into the conversation.

"I just thought you might like to meet a friend of ours," Will said, taking another swallow from his cup and not looking at her. "It's not my fault you behaved that way. In fact, it was kind of rude."

"_Very_ rude!" Carol hissed from her seat. It was apparent she was going to be grumpy for a while.

Crystal did not seem to agree with them or even care. As soon as she had seen that her little Hershey had done as he was told, she went back to reading and not looking up. Liz looked to Charlie for help, but he just shrugged. With a growl of a sigh, Liz gripped the controller tightly. "Let's just finish this."

They launched into Round 3 without another word for several minutes, which Liz was thankful for. However, it was short lived as Carol decided she needed to fill the silence with her voice once more. "You certainly chose a well-endowed character, Lizzy, didn't you?"

Rolling her eyes, she responded simply, "Not really."

"Oh, come on now, seriously. You can't deny that she's a little top heavy. Trying to gain some male interest, are we?" Carol droned on.

"Please, at least mine is fully clothed, unlike the one you had that was running around in a rag of cloth that barely covered her. Trust me, unlike _certain_ people, I don't try to draw attention to myself through pixels on a screen."

Determined not to give up, the black haired girl leaned over her chair and said disbelievingly, "You can't tell me there is not some motive behind choosing that particular character."

"And I wasn't trying to deny that. That motive is because I'm used to playing her, nothing else. I actually hate their perfect bodies and exaggerated features." Liz had half expected to fight with someone in this household while she was here. What was a surprise to her was that it was turning more into a political debate then anything else. Maybe Carol was trying her hand at distracting Liz as well so Will would get the final point. It would not work, as Liz continued with ease, "Using it to flirt is the last thing I would do. Its subjective and demoralizing to women."

"I agree," she heard Will mumble beside her.

That almost derailed Liz more than anything Carol had tried so far. That Will would agree with her on anything seemed to go against all logic itself. After a second, she asked doubtfully, "You do?"

"Completely. It displays an image that is impossible for women to live up to, and yet they do or die trying. Messages like that are why I don't let Giana play these kind of games."

"I see..." was Liz's first response, but then what he said sunk in. "Wait, you don't let your sister play ANY game like this?"

A brief shake of the head that did no move his eyes from the match was all that accompanied his just as brief answer. "No."

"Just because of the scantily clad girls?" she asked, disbelieve growing in her tone.

He slowly raised an eyebrow. "You were just saying-"

"How old is your sister?"

"Seventeen." His other eyebrow was joining the first at a higher point on his forehead.

"She's practically an adult and you're still boycotting some games?" she questioned with exasperation. "You're _way_ over protective. She's seventeen, I think she's smart enough to tell the difference between real life and a video game."

"But you just said-"

Liz snapped in again, "I know what I said, but listen here, boy. Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I can't ignore it or just point and laugh at it. It's horrible, but it's silly. I don't know your sister, but I'm sure she's a smart girl and will not take this seriously."

A dark scowl had returned to Will's face, his eyebrows now drawn low over his eyes. "I just don't want her going out into a world thinking she has to live up to certain physical expectations and wearing certain clothing that she does not have to."

"What planet are you from?" Liz was practically slamming the buttons on her controller now as she argued. Jeane had Sasuke on the defensive. "Any girl with at least one brain cell knows not to take this crap seriously. I'm sure any one from your... 'illustrious' blood line would know that."

"I'm her older brother, I know what's best for her." She could hear the keys being banged into his controller as well. It would be a wonder if the abused contraptions survived this round.

"Ha, that's not even a real argument. You're just saying that because I'm right and you don't want to admit it." When she received no answer, she took it as agreement and a small grin played across her face. In a taunting sing-song, she said, "I'm right, you're wrong, and you know it."

Will responded softly, "I know no such thing."

"Really now?" Liz asked, raising her own eyebrows as she saw him lean over for his drink out of the corner of her eye. "So you're telling me that you _actually_ believe that if your sister saw some girl walking down the street as skinny as a twig and in a tube top and miniskirt, she'd instantly think to get by in the world, she would have to look like that as well? Or if I came knocking at your door in nothing but a bikini and a thong, she'd think it normal and- ha!"

On the words "bikini and thong", Will had loudly choked on his soda and dropped his controller. Liz seized her chance and finished off Sasuke with her exclamation of 'ha.' It had been getting close, and the brunette had feared her victory was not secure. _But now all is well in the land of me,_ she thought smugly. She turned to smile at Will, but he was not looking at her. He had not retrieved his controller either. He just held his hands over his face, staring at the screen with more blankness than anger. Yet she could clearly see his cheeks were burning red. _He must be pissed. What a sore loser,_ she mused as she placed her controller down on the coffee table. Carol's glare had lessened, but now it was aimed directly at Liz. Liz guessed that it was the goth's firm belief that no one was allowed to beat Will.

"Nice," Charlie praised, clapping Liz on the shoulder. "It's been months since I've beaten him at this game, and the girls never have. Glad to see someone can still challenge him."

"Eh, it wasn't too hard," Liz shrugged, though she was obviously pleased with herself. "Maybe next time I'll go easy on him." Carol rolled her eyes expressively and threw herself back into her chair. Will still refused to acknowledge anything at all.

There was a knock at the door and Charlie left his spot behind the couch to answer it. As he reached out for the doorknob, he guessed, "Probably the pizza guy. He arrived fast."

However, the overly cheerful voice that came from the other side of the door was one Liz recognized. "Hi, Charlie! Remember me? Of course you do, it's only been a few weeks since the party!"

"Oh. Hey... you." Came his confused response. Liz turned in her seat to see Missy walk in past Charlie, followed by Luc and Lydia. Luc saw her and gave her a wave that was more of a salute than anything else. The two girls seemed more interested in the apartment than anyone in it. Even though she was not receiving so much as a hello from her, this was the happiest Liz had ever been to see her R.A.

"Missy! Finally, what took you so long to get here?" She leapt over the back of the couch and landed in front of the three new visitors. At Charlie's questioning look, she said, "It's okay, they're my apartment mates, and the ride I was talking about earlier."

"Great, the circus is in town," Carol grumbled. Liz chose to ignore her as it seemed no one else heard or cared about her comments.

Missy's eyes eventually fell onto Liz, but only for a brief second. "Hi, Lizzy... Charlie!" She turned immediately, causing the boy to jump from the shear volume of her voice. "I _love_ what you've done with the place. You must have a decorator!"

"Decorator? Uh... no, nothing like that. We set everything up our selves." His laugh that followed was slightly nervous.

"Reeeeally?" Missy's tone was dripping with exaggerated shock as her eyes widened. "Well, I think it's great. You can come over and decorate our apartment any time you like. The place needs it, let me tell you, it is just a complete mess, I mean it is a hole in the wall! I can't do a-"

"Missy!" Liz hissed, snapping the red-head's attention back to her. "Are you here to discuss wall decorations and china patterns or are you here to take Jane to the hospital?"

At first her face was completely void of expression. "Jane...? Oh! Yes, Janey, the poor, poor thing! Where is she, I must see her at once!" Not another moment was wasted as she marched off without waiting for directions. Lydia followed her, still taking in the apartment, a look of pure child-like glee on her face. After hesitating, Charlie soon joined them as well, either to show them where to go or to get another chance to see Jane. Liz assumed that is was easily the second option. Luc stayed where he was, jingling the keys in his pocket and humming to himself.

As for everyone else, there was hardly any movement. Crystal turned a page in her magazine, still oblivious to the world around her. Carol was glaring after where the little group had disappeared to, unconsciously tapping her purple claw-like nails into her chair. Will still had not moved since Liz had last looked at him. She had expected for him to be showing at least as much annoyance at the new arrival as Carol was showing. But the only difference she saw was that his face was a little less red then it had been a moment before.

When no one had spoke for a minute, Liz whispered to Luc, "Missy just has to be embarrassing, doesn't she?"

"She does!" He piped up cheerfully. "Isn't it cute?"

Shaking her head and forcing a sardonic smile, she said, "Oh, adorable. What took you guys so long to get here?"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault if her parents wanted us to stay a few more hours just so they could keep filling us with free food. And when we got back, Missy wanted nothing more than to rush right over here... after taking a shower, doing her nails, and reading the latest Cosmo. She was _so_ concerned, that she hunted down Lydia and Mary to bring as well, isn't she thoughtful?"

Before she could give a sarcastic answer, she stopped. "Mary's here too?"

"Yeah, she's out in the car. She did not want to come in." He leaned in closer and whispered conspiratorially, "News flash: she's shy."

Liz rolled her eyes and gave Luc a weak push. "Whatever. Can they just hurry up in there and bring her out to the car? I don't think I can stand another minute here."

"Oh, it gets better." Despite his words, his voice was apologetic. Before she could ask, he added, "Just wait, you'll see."

Almost on cue, Jane's door opened once more and everyone piled out. Missy's hyper-active voice preceded their entrance, but not by much. "Oh, my poor, sweet Janey! Why do the worst things always have to happen to the best of us?" Wincing, Liz hoped they had not disturbed her sister too much. But then, she was going to have to be arisen soon anyway. As she rambled on about her beloved 'Janey,' Liz joined them in the hall, and Luc seemed to reluctantly leave his post at the door. Charlie nodded and feigned interest in what Missy said, but his real thoughts were back in the room they had just exited. Lydia did not even bother to show interest. Missy probably would not have noticed anyway. "So tragic to happen to so young, so beautiful... you DO agree she's beautiful, don't you Charlie?"

Charlie colored and he began to sweat with embarrassment. It was obvious what he thought, but did not exactly want to be so vocal about it. Liz saved him by jumping in, "Yes, she is pretty, and I think she'll be even prettier in a hospital gown."

"A what?" Missy asked, apparently thrown off by Liz pushing herself into the conversation.

"You know, the gown she'll be wearing when we take her to see a doctor? Cause if you haven't noticed, she's sick and we need to get going."

"Going!" Charlie and Missy exclaimed in unison, the first horrified, the second purely scandalized. The red-head frowned sternly and said, "I won't hear of it! Janey is way too sick to be moved! Besides, Luc's car is small and is already packed, we don't possibly have room for more! No, no, Janey will just have to stay here and _you_ will have to keep an eye on her."

The brunette's jaw dropped open slightly. This was not the answer she had wanted. After a few seconds, she stuttered, anger barely kept in check, "Y-...you can't do that!"

"It's not a matter of can or can't, Lizzy sweetie. It's just the way it is," Missy half shrugged.

After staring at the R.A. for a moment, she finally asked Luc, "Is this what you were talking about when you said it gets better?" He nodded, again a sad smile on his face. Turning back to Missy, she snapped, "Fine, leave Jane here then. But that does not mean that I can't try to carry her to the hospital if I have to! The bus stop isn't that far." Hours before she had not wanted to leave her twin alone here, and she was not about to change her mind now. She was a stubborn girl and would have her way, no matter what.

Missy looked displeased and was on the verge of saying something when a loud, raspy cough stopped her. Everyone turned to see Jane halfway in the hall, leaning on her doorframe for support. She looked more pale than before and her limbs were shaking. Charlie stiffened at the sight of her, a grim frown creasing his face. In a wavering voice, the sickly girl murmured, "I'll be fine here, Liz, I don't need to see a doctor. You don't need to stay either if you don't want to, it's okay." She managed a weak smile.

Groaning inwardly, Liz walked over to her sibling, took her hand and led her back to her bed, assuring her every step of the way that she was not going anywhere. The fact that Jane hardly protested was a sign of how sick she was, considering how much she hated being a burden on anyone. After tucking her in once more, Liz returned to the hall. "Fine," she growled at a triumphant Missy. "If I can't get transportation, then I guess we'll have to stay here." She saw Charlie let out a sigh of relief over Missy's shoulder. _At least SOMEONE is happy with this situation, _her thoughts rumbled through her head. "Did you at least bring my laptop?"

"Nope," Missy answered too happily.

"Extra medicine? Something for me to read, since I'm going to be here a while?"

"Uhhh... nu-uh."

Liz wanted to rip that foolish grin off the other girl's face. "Did you bring anything?"

"Oh! I figured you would want this," Missy said digging into her purse. Pulling out a small blue device and a set of earphones, she explained, "It's your mp3 player! I brought it since I know how much you love your songs and all."

She stared at it for a second before she grudgingly snatched it out of her hand. "Gee, thanks," she grumbled, thinking, _Now I have music to listen to while I strangle you._

"We'll be all too happy to take care of Jane and have you as our guest, Liz, until she gets better." Charlie informed her after a short pause and their group had begun to move back into the living room. "Isn't that right?" He asked, maybe a bit too forcefully, to his housemates.

Carol's nails were now digging into her chair, her knuckles turning white, but she was perfectly calm in all other appearances. With a barely contained sneer, she replied, "It'll be pure joy to look after them both."

Will had finally moved from his seat. He was now in the comfortably snug kitchen, refilling his cup. Missy caught sight of him and all of her happiness at another plot successfully completed vanished. "You." He looked up from behind the other side of the fridge door, raising an eyebrow. Missy cracked some knuckles as she continued, "I've been meaning to talk to you. You remember a little party a few weeks ago? You know, the one where yo-"

"Missy!" Liz shouted for what felt like the hundredth time, her cheeks burning. "This... is not the time for that. Save it, just... save it."

The red head glowered, but turned away from her intended target, her long curls swishing after her. The apartment's inhabitants were clearly confused, but said nothing. "I suppose you're right, Lizzy," the girl agreed with disdain. Then, to no one in particular, "I will say this, however. People, _certain_ people who are uppity and arrogant, who go to parties and don't open their mouth other than to say bad things about good people, deserve to die."

"Okay, that's enough Missy," Liz said hastily, giving Luc a meaningful look to Luc as she added, "don't you think its time you _left_?"

Before Missy could give her the exact opposite answer that she wanted to hear, Luc grabbed his girlfriend's shoulders and started directing her towards the front door. "You know, I think you're right, Liz. Getting close to our bed times, don't ya know."

"What are you talking about? It's barely seven," Missy complained, trying to struggle free of the tall boy's grip. She was failing miserably. Lydia followed after them as casually as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening.

Luc reached out for the door, one hand still firmly gripped into Missy. "You know us old codgers, early to bed, early to rise, all that crap."

"Speak for yourself!" The red-head was now trying to yank herself free, but her boyfriend easily pushed her through the door.

"Have fun, Liz," Luc called after himself, waving through the gaping open door before they were gone.

Lydia was about to leave herself when she paused at the threshold. She turned back, facing Charlie, who was staring after the couple that had just left and not knowing what to think. She bit her lip as if trying to decide something than said, "Hey, Charlie. I'm a friend of Liz's and I know I'm a complete stranger, but I was wondering..."

At her trailing off, Charlie smiled encouragingly and simply asked, "Yes?"

"Well, as you heard a lot from Missy, you're apartment is really cool. Would it be totally pushy of me to ask if you would throw a party here sometime? Like maybe a Halloween one in a couple a months, that would be awesome."

Without looking back at his friends for their consent, he smiled wider, "Of course, sounds like fun! I would want to wait until Jane's better, she should definitely be good by the end of October, so Halloween would be fine."

"Great! I'll hold you to that!" Lydia said, and she disappeared through the door after her brother and Missy, slamming it shut behind her. _Probably wanted to make a get away before Charlie realized what he was getting into and could change his mind, Liz mused. Well, that's one party I know I won't be going to too._

"What were you thinking!" Carol cried from the living room. She had finally removed herself from her seat and had placed her hands indignantly on her hips. Will stood in the kitchen, quietly drinking from his glass. "Throwing a party for those... those..." She came to a pause when she looked at Liz, pursing her lips.

"Those what?" the brunette asked with icy innocence.

"We can't have a party here, our parents won't allow it," the goth amended what she was originally going to say.

The sandy-blonde boy shrugged off his sister's complaints. "They won't know. Besides, I doubt they really care, they know we're in college and responsible, we can keep one party under control. Where is that pizza, I'm getting starving!" He threw in the last part, cutting off any attempts Carol had to argue.

Liz remembered how hungry she was when he said that and that it was the reason she had come out in the first place. She decided she had had enough 'fun' for one evening. "When it gets here, you let me know. I'm going back to check on Jane."

"Are you positive? I'm sure we can find something out here to entertain you," Charlie asked, though the words slowly left his lips. It seemed he was at war with himself between being a good host to Liz and concern for Jane.

Liz shook her head, replying firmly, "No thanks, I think I really need to get back to her. Besides, since I'm your unexpected guest for the next day or two, I should really get myself set up and comfortable in Jane's room."

"You're going to stay in there? You don't have to do that, there's no room! We could kick Will out of his room and you could sleep there."

As much as she liked the idea of imposing on Will and being a pain in the neck, she declined. "I saw you had a rocking chair in your room, I'm sure I can just use that. I don't really plan on sleeping much anyway, just maybe a nap now and then."

"You should at least take some blankets and pillows."

It took Liz a moment to realize that the last comment had not originated from Charlie, but from the tall, golden-haired boy standing in the kitchen, still sipping his soda. His green eyes did not rise to meet hers or acknowledge her in anyway, as if he had never said anything at all. She had almost forgotten he was in the room, she had not heard him speak in so long. Liz, slightly bewildered that the offer had come from Will, finally said, "No... no, I should be good with what I got." He just shrugged and strode into the hallway. She soon heard a door close and decided that he had retreated to his room. Still confused, she only repeated, "Just let me know when the pizza comes, Charlie." With that, she wandered back to Jane's room.

The rest of the night went on at a sluggishly slow pace. Liz hid in the room, looking after Jane, and only went to the door when she heard a knock at it. Charlie had come in with several slices of pizza for Liz and some soup for Jane, _real_ chicken noodle soup, not the cheap ramen Liz had brought. Liz had thanked him enthusiastically and let him spend some time with Jane, but for the most part attempted to get him out of the room sooner than later. After enjoying her pizza and helping Jane with the soup, she sat by the bed in the rocking chair and talked to her sister and told jokes until Jane fell asleep. She then broke out her textbook and went back to studying, occasionally stopping to just look at her twin resting peacefully.

Liz did not know when she fell asleep or how long she was asleep. She woke up the next morning at dawn, covered in a fuzzy blanket and a plush pillow stuffed behind her head. She only wondered where they had come from for a few seconds before she snuggled more cozily into the chair and nodded off once more.

* * *

A/N: Yay, chapter 5 was a long one! This was originally gonna be two seperate chapters, but then I thought Liz going to the apartment being a chapter all on its own might be kind of boring. So I slapped the next one onto it, and I think it works out fine. So yeah, this is pretty similar to Liz's first day or two at Netherfield in the original story, just instead of cards, they play video games... and instead of Mr. Hurst being some background character that eats a lot, he's a slightly more interesting and... bondagy. hehe, I have plans for him, and you'll see more of him next chapter. But he doesn't do much until later in the story. Just seemed like a good time to introduce him. 

Thank you all for your lovely reviews, makes me feel loved To Mrs. Dom Masbolle, yup, I do indeed attend UCSC, and I lurve it. And I know, Wickham sucks, but he's gonna be in here... just not yet. And ILoveIt09, glad you were listening to the song i>Take Me Out /i> while reading, its a great song ;) As for showing Will's side of the story, I was waiting for someone to ask that, lol. See, I know a lot of people do it, but I decided a while ago that I did not want to do that with my story. I know that most (if not ALL) of you have already read the original story, so the events that happen at Rosing Parks aren't any mystery... but I still want to write it were as much of a surprise to the reader as it will be to Liz. Hope no one minds ;P Who knows, maybe at the end of it all, I'll write a second short story, and it'll all be Will's point of view. It could happen!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was a glorious, sunny day. Birds were chirping in the trees and graceful bugs were flittering through the air. The smell of a variety of flowers that had bloomed over night floated on the breeze. The weather was warm enough to almost be considered summer weather. There were some clouds still guarding the blue sky, but they were small, non-threatening, and far away. All other signs of the storm had completely vanished, almost as if it had never occurred. Kids of all ages were running around out in the open, enjoying their Sunday afternoon without a care in the world. All seemed right with the world, if only for this short instant in time. And Liz was absolutely miserable.

She still did not know quite how she had ended up at the public park with Carol, Crystal, and Will as her companions. Most of what she could remember of the morning was a blur. She had gotten up late feeling groggy and dirty from the guck still in her hair. After checking on Jane, Liz had ventured out to find that Charlie had some cereal for her, which she ate readily. He also offered the use of their shower, which, he hinted at in the kindest way, she needed badly. Feeling much refreshed but still not completely awake afterwards, she had once more returned to her sister's bedside, but her refuge had only lasted moments. Charlie came knocking at her door once more and told her she could not stay locked up in the stuffy room all day. She had protested that she "most certainly damn well could," but he would not hear of it. Next thing she knew, the sandy blonde was practically dragging her out, rambling about some trip to the park the others were taking. Interrupting Liz's complaints several times, Charlie assured her that he would look after Jane and demanded she went out and have fun. It was not long before she found herself walking down the street, surrounded by the last three people she wanted to interact with.

Liz at first was thankful for the random thought she had had to grab her bag before Charlie had thrown her out. It was not long before she found, to her dismay, that it only contained her notebook, ramen, and her mp3 player. As tired as she was of studying, at least it would have given her a perfectly good reason to ignore the others. Before Liz could close her bag, Carol had spotted the little mp3 player and with a big grin, had pulled out her own. The rest of the walk was spent with Carol comparing the two players very enthusiastically. Holding it in hand, she demonstrated that hers was much larger, had more space, could hold more different file types, and was all in all just plain better than Liz's. The brunette had just listened with half an ear.

Now, the group sat at the park, under a big shady tree that was in the process of losing its golden leaves. They were situated as far from the pond as possible, for Carol found the ducks that inhabited it to be disgusting creatures. Music blared from a small set of speakers that had been brought and hooked up to the 'superior' mp3 player. Right now, the play list was going through a rather long selection of 'Cradle of Filth' songs. Parents at the park shot glaring glances in their direction whenever the band went into fits of growling and screeching. Liz lay on her belly in the grass, grimacing as she flipped slowly through one of Carol's novels that the goth had been kind enough to offer. Charlie had been wrong; this was not a romance novel, it was just pure smut. She tended to skip past the more 'graphic' parts, which cut the length of the book in half.

Crystal sat in a tacky fold-up lawn chair that she had made Will carry here for her. Despite the fact that they were hiding in the shade, the rotund girl wore large sunglasses and once more had magazine open in her lap. From her posture and the slack in her mouth, Liz guessed that Crystal was not so much reading as she was asleep. Will sat at the base of the tree, using the trunk for back support, with a laptop resting on his legs. Carol sat next to him, leaning over his shoulder as closely as possible without touching him. She read intently from his screen as he typed. From her comments and praises, it became clear very quickly that Will was writing an email to his sister.

"Oh, Will!" She cried once more, "I can't say enough how _sweet_ it is that you write to Giana so often!" Liz quietly mused that the goth _could_ say it enough and that she had past that point long ago. There was a short pause where Carol may have been expecting a response, but Will just kept typing. She continued earnestly, "And such long ones, too. I must say, it's absolutely... charming!"

When the black haired girl shoved her head in front of the screen, completely blocking his vision, Will finally stopped typing. With a sigh, he said, "I'll admit they're long, but as for charming, I don't know, I guess that's up to the reader. I would think that my emails deserve at least a little privacy, however."

It took Carol a minute to take a hint, and then with a small "Oh!", she quickly pulled herself back. She was still close enough to be considered invading personal space, but Will seemed satisfied, at least well enough to return to clicking at his keyboard. "Be sure to tell Giana how much I miss her," she put in enthusiastically after another minute where no words were spoken.

"I did that already," he stated with a bored tone, not looking away from his email.

"What, that little blurb at the top?" she whined, jabbing a finger somewhere on the screen. "You have to say more than that, it doesn't even begin to describe how much I miss her! You have to tell her how proud I am of her improvement in her piano lessons, and of her A in chemistry, and that I can't wait to see her over Christmas break, and-"

The golden blonde interrupted her, his voice tinged slightly with annoyance, "Why don't you email her yourself? She did say she hasn't heard from you since you left."

"Well... I've just been so busy since I've arrived! If it's not one thing, it's another, you know." Liz held back a snort. The brunette had had a hunch before, but now she was certain that Carol could care less about Will's sister. _Just feigning interest in hopes she'll get HIS interest. Poor girl, being stuck with a brother like that and with Carol who's... just Carol._ "Besides," she continued, "You already have this email open right here, it would be easy for you to put it in now."

"I fear I don't have enough room for all the flattery you wish to send to Giana." He said smoothly.

"Not enough room?" the dark girl asked indignantly. "It's an email, there's _always_ enough room." He ignored her and kept typing. Carol's lower lipped jutted out sadly. Liz, watching the pair over her book, began to wonder how times a day the girl pouted. Maybe she would start keeping count. It seemed a rather common thing, or maybe it was just for Liz's benefit.

The goth seemed to be on the verge of saying something else, but then a new song began to blast out of the speakers. The first few notes identified it as _The Game_ by Disturbed. Carol squealed and leapt from her seat. She nearly knocked Will's laptop over as she dashed past, his firm hands on it catching it quickly. Liz avoided being trampled by rolling over a few feet and sitting up. Carol slid to a stop next to the speakers, and turned the volume knob rapidly. Where as the music had been booming before, it now threatened to tear the speakers apart. Parents pulled their children further away from their group. Crystal made a loud snort and sat up, lowering her shades to glare at Carol.

"I love this song!" Carol informed everyone unnecessarily, as she energetically started head banging to it at appropriate places. When the guitar ripped through the speakers more loudly and ardently, she leapt to her feet and started dancing and mouthing the words. At least, Liz interpreted her crazy, sporadic movements that lacked rhythm as dancing.

Will paid none of it any attention, which seemed to be Carol's intent. She moved faster and more wildly, but the only gazes she drew were curious ones from little kids several yards away. Frowning, she looked down at Liz, who had stopped staring long ago and had returned to skimming through the book. Forcing a friendly grin, she shouted over the song, "Lizzy, come dance with me!"

Raising an eyebrow as she met her gaze, Liz shouted back, "What? Here? In the park?"

"Where else? Come on, it's fun!" When Liz returned a doubtful frown, she said, "Well, if you're too shy, I understand..."

"Yup, that's me," Liz agreed cheerfully, turning a page. However, it was not the answer Carol was looking for. The goth grabbed Liz's wrists and yanked her to her feet, the book falling to the grass. Liz glared at her, but Carol just returned to dancing.

It was one thing to dance at a party full of drunken college students, and another thing completely to dance to loud, frequently cussing music in the middle of a public park. It was not that she was embarrassed, but somehow it just felt rude. Rubbing her arms hesitantly, she looked at Carol again. The girl was still throbbing wildly. Liz decided she could not look any worse than that. It was slow at first, just sway in the hips and swings in her arms. But eventually, she let herself get carried away by the throws of the music. It _was_ a good song after all, despite Carol liking it.

"Will!" Carol yelled as the song drew closer to the end. "I see you watching us, you know you want to join us!" With a spin, Liz saw indeed that the sophomore was watching them. He had even half closed his laptop to stare rather openly at the pair. _HIM, dance? Yeah, right,_ Liz thought as she finished turning and was facing Carol once more. _He's only waiting for me to trip over my feet and fall on my face._

"I think I'll pass," his low voice could barely be heard over the music. "I can only imagine that if I joined you, it would ruin your real reason for dancing."

Carol giggled innocently. It was a horrible sound. "Whatever could you mean, Will?"

"You're aware that you show off your figures nicely by moving in such ways and wish to attract the eye," he answered haltingly, as if he thought about every word before he said it. However, Liz swore she could hear a smile in his voice. The song stopped just before Will included, "By joining you, I would ruin the image. I'm enjoying the show just fine from here."

Liz nearly did trip up at this statement. Carol did not notice as she burst into giggles once more. "Oh stop, you'll make me blush!" She cried. It was then that she noticed her dancing partner was missing. Liz had taken a seat on the grass rather quickly and was flipping through the novel harshly, threatening to rip the pages out. _There's going to be no show to enjoy if I can help it,_ She thought angrily. She was not going to embarrass herself any further. "Lizzy," the black-haired girl hissed, with less warmth than she had acted out before. "Get back here."

"No," she answered firmly, not looking up from the pages that she was not even bothering to read anymore.

Placing her fists on her hips, Carol bent down a little so she was leaning over the seated girl. "And why not?"

She bit back a sarcastic and rather rude response, instead saying, "The songs over, I'm done dancing for today."

"One song? No one only dances to just one song!" Carol seemed appalled at the very idea. The next song, also by Disturbed, started blaring through the speakers. After listening to it for a few seconds when Liz made no response, Carol decided with a sneer, "You must not like the band. How disappointing." She cast a meaningful glance in Crystal's and Will's direction.

Now Liz did look up as she closed the book. She opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it. Instead, she turned and yanked Carol's mp3 player cord out of the speakers. The owner made a noise of protest, but was cut off with a gasp as she hastily grabbed for the music device when it was tossed at her. Liz then started digging through her bag and produced her own player. Still without a word, she connected it to the speakers. Carol just cuddled hers protectively as she glared at the brunette.

Liz flipped hers on and began to scan through the songs available. After a few seconds, she found what she was looking for, hit play and sat back, watching the others for their reaction. Soft but light melodic notes of a violin began to flow into the air. Even though they moved at a quick pace, rising and falling with ease, it was a soothing sound. Other instruments began to join the first, making it sound more complete. After listening for a few seconds, it became clear that no singer was going to make an appearance in this tune. "What's this classical crap?" scoffed Carol.

Raising an eyebrow and getting an amused grin, Liz stated, "Technically, it's not classical. That's a string orchestra playing and it was made rather recently. I'm surprised you don't recognize the song, being such a fan and all. Come on, make a guess as to what it is, it's not difficult. I know you can do it, think really hard with that cute little brain of yours." When Carol just continued to scowl and refused to play along, Liz was not disheartened. Her grin grew wider. "No? Well, fine then, I'll tell you, it's-"

"It's _Believe_ by Disturbed," a mildly stunned voice interrupted her. She turned her head to find the source and saw Will. He had his head cocked to one side, listening to the music with interest. He was also looking at her, studying her almost, as if he was not quite sure what to make of her.

Liz fought the urge to fidget uncomfortably and stared boldly back, nodding in agreement with his statement. "Yes. This orchestra did a cover of the song," she said quietly.

Carol, sensing the tone of the conversation shifting where she did not want it to, marched over to the speakers and grabbed Liz's mp3 player. Liz snapped her attention back over to the goth, but stayed where she was. "Well, isn't it just dandy that you have all kinds of versions of Disturbed, Lizzy?" She purred coldly, examining the device. "Let's see what else you have on you're little toy."

Liz barely kept herself from lunging for it as she watched Carol's claw-like nails scrape against the blue casing. She was not ashamed of her music selection at all. However, there were just some songs... well, lets just say she hoped that the Random function would avoid them. The goth had finally found the Skip button and began cycling through the selection. New songs kept bursting through the speakers, only to be replaced a few seconds later by the next. Carol mumbled as she went along, "Hmmm... Muse... Sonata Arctica... Hot Hot Heat... Simple Plan... Nightwish, they're alright, I guess..." Despite Liz's discomfort, she had to admit she was impressed that Carol recognized any of these bands. As far as she knew, they were not the type the average, every day goth-girl would listen to. She still held her tongue as she began to believe she might get through Carol's investigation unscathed. No such luck.

Liz stiffened as she heard soft, chiming notes escape from the speakers. _Hit next, women, hit next, hit NEXT._ Liz hoped her powers of persuasion through her mind worked and worked quickly as she concentrated on Carol. They, unfortunately, did not. A woman's voice came on and started singing of dancing bears and painted wings. It almost sounded like a lullaby. Carol listened for a few seconds, then shot a smooth grin at Liz. "Aren't you a little old for Disney songs, Lizzy sweetie?"

She was not going to give in to this tiny, but annoying prod from the goth. "Actually, it's from a Fox Animation movie, not Disney, thank you kindly. And in my opinion, you can never be too old to enjoy a song. If it's good, it's good. You going to stop listening to Disturbed when you're age one hundred-and-two and eating jell-o on a daily basis?"

Carol glowered in Liz's direction. Apparently, that was not the answer she had been looking for. _Good._ The only compliment Liz allowed herself. It was not over yet, as the dark-haired girl returned her attention to the defenseless mp3 player and began to mash the skip button again. Liz bit her lip. There were worse songs Carol could have found in her selection, and still had the possibility of finding. She just had to keep hoping...

For the second time in five minutes, Liz's prayers went unanswered. The speakers buzzed with silence for a few seconds, then a cheesy, artificially created guitar sound burst forth.

_Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...  
Heroes in a half shell! Turtle Power!  
They're the word's most fearsome fighting team!  
We're really hip!  
They're-_

By this time, Liz had snatched her mp3 player from Carol's talons and jerked the cord out of the speakers. She stood there for a moment in the deafening silence, unable to move or do anything besides clutch it to her chest almost protectively. But it was too late, the damage had been done. The laughter that escaped from Carol's lips was hideous. Crystal was smiling lazily at Liz. She apparently wanted to take part in Carol's victory, but was on the verge of dozing off again. Liz did not even bother to look at Will. Whether he wore his usual distant, high-and-mighty look or he shared in Carol's mirth, the brunette did not think she could stand either at the moment.

Carol managed to calm herself enough to ask, "Why, Lizzy, is there a... problem?" She started to cackle again, as her own statement seemed infinitely funny to her.

"No, no problem," she responded, still standing rather rigidly. "I just... just thought that you could... not... handle the, erm, _awesomeness_ that is... this song," she finished, cursing every word that left her mouth.

"Oh, we can _handle_ that song," Carol assured her, flashing a smile of indulgence. "Oh, my! And I thought the _Disney_ song was great. No no, really, Lizzy darling, that song is 'really hip.' Full of turtle power and, honestly, what more could anyone ask for?"

Refusing to be baited, Liz turned on her heel and marched over to her bag. As she leaned over to stuff her traitorous device back into her pack, she noticed Carol's discarded novel. She grabbed it and straightened up, facing Carol once more. The goth still looked like she had won the Lottery. Flipping casually through the 'romance' book, Liz said, "You know the bad thing about this cheesy, dime novels, Carol?" She stopped somewhere randomly in the middle. She grabbed the corner of a page and began to tug at it. "The pages are just so dang flimsy and fragile - anyone could just _accidently_ rip out two or three... hundred pages."

The smug look immediately left the coal-haired girl's face. "Drop it. Drop it, _now_," she practically hissed.

Liz was the one smiling now, like a cat that had found a new toy. Her fingers had yet to leave the page she gripped tightly. She really was not so mean as to destroy another person's property. Okay, she was, but only to people who deserved it. Carol most certainly deserved it...

With a small sigh, she snapped the book shut again. "Relax, I was just saying... mistakes happen," Liz reassured Carol. As much as she wanted to, she preferred not to be kicked out of the place that was still holding her sick sister. Besides, she had gotten her message across: she was not someone to be fooled around with. She tossed the paperback in her direction, which was snatched out of the air quickly. Book safely in hand, Carol sneered at Liz, but did nothing more.

Leaning down to retrieve her bag, Liz's eyes involuntarily wandered over to Will's direction. He was wearing the blank, intense expression he was so good at. Liz had been right: she could not stand it. She quickly looked away. "I'm heading back to your apartment to check on Jane. Thanks for inviting me to join you guys. It was... fun." It was hard saying that final word, but Liz managed somehow. Without looking at anyone, she walked away from the small group. The only farewell she received was Crystal's snoring.

* * *

Elizabeth bit back a curse as a pain shot up her foot. She did not even know what she had managed to stub her toe against, it was so dark in the room. It was now 1 AM, and she was not only attempting to navigate the apartment in a quest for a late night glass of water, but attempting to do it quietly and quickly. She was failing horribly at both. 

When she had arrived home from the park earlier that day, Charlie had expressed his surprise at her coming back so soon. Had she not liked the park? Had the weather turned bad? Had his apartment mates been less than polite? She had cut off his rapid worried questions, answering no to all of them. It was a struggle giving the last question a negative, for she was curious what Charlie would have done. Was there a dark, vengeful side of the boy that was just waiting to be unleashed on unwary victims? But she did not want to worry him unnecessarily and really, she just wanted to see how her sister was doing.

Jane had actually improved over the day. She was able to sit up without violently shaking and her voice did not rasp when she spoke. Unfortunately, it was not enough yet. She would have to stay another day, despite her protests and Liz's discontent. That produced a problem, however. Tomorrow was Monday: they had classes. By the time everyone had gone to bed that night, however, a solution had been found. Liz got to catch a ride with Will in his freshly tuned-up car to the university the next day. Not only did she get the pure joy of being in the car with Him, but also with the witches masquerading as humans; polite company called them Carol and Crystal. It was only a small consolation that Charlie would be coming as well. She would take notes for Jane from their discrete math class and Charlie would take care of the other class he normally shared with her. Liz did not mind that part so much, she could just photocopy her notes later. She actually felt bad for Jane, who would have to discern her chicken scratch. But to top the day off, she would be riding back with Will once more. Sure, she could take the bus, but that was much slower and pointless. She was strong, she could tough out one round trip with the stuffy boy.

She pushed those thoughts out of her head. No need to waste time on it, the plan was set in stone, no turning back now. All she really wanted at the moment was a nice cool glass of water. Liz limped along on her sore foot, feeling the wall of the hallway as she walked along. _I see my natural power of night vision is moving right along,_ her thoughts sarcastically filled her mind. She sincerely hoped she was making her way to the kitchen.

Her hands fell on a corner that turned right. With any luck, that was a good sign she was getting close. Liz followed the edge around the wall and soon touched a much smoother surface. It was not long before she found a handle. Was she at the fridge? She figured there was little else it could be. Well. She had found the fridge, but not the sink. It would be easier to get a drink from here instead. Besides, there was a light inside!

She gripped the handle tightly and pulled it open. It took her eyes a second to adjust to the brightness that came from within. She blinked a couple times, then squinted at the refrigerator's contents. _Hmm, let's see. Milk, too healthy... apple juice, too fruity... orange soda! Someone here has good tastes. What else... Sna-_

"Could you shut that door, please?" A scratchy voice came from behind her.

She yelped and slammed the door shut, spinning around to look behind her. However, with no more light coming from the fridge, that defeated the whole purpose of trying to see. Darkness surrounded her once more. The same soft voice said, "Thank you."

Liz bit her lip as her racing heart slowly settled. She did not recognize the voice at all. Was it a robber? _Oh right, I'm sure thieves say 'please' and 'thank you' all the time._ She debated with herself a moment more, then decided to open the door again and risk the voice's wrath.

As the fridge slowly opened and light poured out once more, the shadows in the kitchen and living room quickly retreated. A figure was hunched over the coffee table, pen in hand over a short stack of papers. Its incredibly pale face squinted up at her. "What did I just say?" came a slightly annoyed whisper.

She let out a small breath she did not know she had been holding. _It's only Hershey... I mean Matthew... I mean, that strange bondage-boyfriend-thing..._ His outfit was no where near as alarming as it had been when she met him. He had gotten rid of all the leather and buckles, instead replacing it with a simple white blouse and a pair of corduroy pants with suspenders. His hair was as messy as ever. Liz wondered if he actually used gel to keep it that messy. It defied all laws of gravity. And once again, she was struck by how much he looked like Edward Scissorhands. Her eyes absentmindedly shot to his fingers. She was almost disappointed not to find scissors.

"I'm sorry," she responded once her eyes darted back to his eyes. "I came out for a drink."

All irritation left his face. He now almost looked guilty for snapping at her. "No need to be sorry. Just get your drink and shut the door quickly."

Liz quickly went about doing just that, her hand reaching for a can of orange soda. As she began to close the door, she paused halfway. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that his attention had returned to his papers. He was tapping his pen pensively against the side of his temple. "Excuse me, but are you writing?"

"Indeed, I am," was all he said without looking up.

She pursed her lips. "Then wouldn't it be easier for you if you did it with the light on?"

"Nope."

The brunette waited for more of an explanation, but none came. Liz told herself she should let it go. She did not. "Pardon my saying so, but last time I checked, humans weren't nocturnal."

He placed the pen quietly down on the coffee table and smiled up at her, narrowing his eyes against the light. "No, they aren't. But I'm pretty damn close, with all the practice I've been getting."

Now this was interesting. She began to walk into the living room to join him, but not before gesturing to the fridge door and mumbling, "Mind if I leave this open for a little bit?"

He considered the door for a second with a grimace, then said, "It should be fine, I suppose... but not too long."

"Not too long," Liz promised as she took a seat in one of the chairs. "Why would you need to practice seeing in the dark?"

"Well, it's not so much that I _need_ to as it just kind of happens." At Liz's enquiring look, he added, "I can't write with the lights on at night. It disturbs Crystal's beauty rest."

Liz chuckled at 'Crystal' and 'beauty rest' being used in the same sentence. When he looked at her quizzically, she realized he was serious. _Have to remember this guy is dating the thing._ "Well... Hershey, I-"

"Matthew will do," he corrected.

"Alright. Matthew, I still don't see why you need to write in the dark when you're out here."

"The light disturbs Crystal," the boy frowned, enunciating his repeated words more slowly. "If I turn on the lamps in here, light will still go down the hall and leak in underneath the doorway into her room."

Liz blinked at him. Now she really needed something to drink. She looked at the cool, soda can she still held in her hands. She snapped it open it with a soft fizz, which receives a stifled swear word from Matthew's direction. Looking up, she saw a scared look on his face as he began to make shushing noises at her. "Oh, come on, don't tell me she heard that!"

"She might have!" He hissed, glancing down the hallway. "Trust me, you don't want to see her when she's been woken up in the middle of the night."

_I imagine I wouldn't,_ she determined, taking a slow sip. Out loud, she asked, "Well, if you're so worried about waking her up, why don't you just write during the day?"

"I don't have the time," he said with a wistful sigh. "Too busy cleaning her room, doing her homework, repairing the stuff she- I mean, the stuff _I_ break, and... why you looking at me like that?"

Liz hid her mixture of surprise and pity behind another gulp from the can of soda. He was certainly well trained. Ignoring his question, she said, "Well, since you can only work at night, why don't you head out if you're so worried about waking her up? You know, go to an all night coffee shop or a Denny's or something."

"Oh no," he shook his head vigorously, the awkward locks of his hair bouncing with the motion. "I'm not allowed to leave the apartment without Crystal, or with at least her expressed permission. Even with that, she needs to know where I'm going, how long I'll be there, what I'll be doing, and I must, must, MUST rush back."

"You've got to be jo-", Liz began, but then saw the earnest look on his face. "You're not joking. Wow." She leaned forward with a kind of disgusted interest. "So, you're hardly ever allowed to leave without Crystal? You don't go to college or have a job or anything?"

Matthew grinned, the corners of his mouth slightly twitching upward in amusement. "Nope. Dropped out of college half a year before I graduated and haven't looked back since. It hasn't been so bad, I get more time to write comfortably."

Liz would have thought he was being sarcastic, but from the way he said it, she really thought he was not. She then tapped one bare foot on the carpet lightly in thought. "So wait, you can only go out with Crystal? How come I've never seen you two together? I mean, you don't have courses anymore, but I thought I would have seen you two together at some point. You know, you walking her to a class or sitting at cafe..."

"Oh, I couldn't hurt my sweetie's reputation like that!" The dark-eyed boy exclaimed in the loudest whisper he had used all night. When Liz raised her eyebrow in inquiry, he explained, "Crystal must be seen as the ever unattainable vixen, able to flirt and tease as she wishes. She can't let it out that she's tied down by a boyfriend. She has to maintain her perfect image of being sexy, single, and loving it."

"Are we talking about the same Crystal here? The one that lives in this apartment? Best friends with Carol? Grotesquely fa- I mean, a little bit on the plump side?" Matthew nodded with each statement, though he was a little slow to agree on the last one. _Oh, this poor, abused boy!_ Liz thought with a deep sigh. Maybe there was hope for him yet. Maybe he had not been in the relationship long enough to realize what a hell he was in. "Tell me, Matthew. How long have you been Crystal's little... submissive pet?" she asked gently.

He tapped his jaw with his index finger a moment before responding, "Little over two years."

"Sorry, you must have misunderstood me. I did not mean how long you two have been dating... but more along the lines of when she started telling what to do, where to go... you know, the whole domineering bitch thing, pardon my language, I mean it in the nicest way."

He lowered his eyebrows, but he did not seem angry. Actually, the look was more puzzled than anything else. After a second, he repeated in the same slow voice he had used earlier, "Little over two year."

_Oh my,_ were the only words that crossed her mind as she took another slow sip from her soda. She decided this was a good time to change the subject. "What're you writing?"

Matthew did not seem thrown off by the switch in the conversation. He glanced down at his papers in the dim light and replied, "A play. I was a theatre major in college. I love writing scripts, I have a ton piled up back in the room."

She smiled warmly. "I'd love to read them sometime."

"Sounds good! Here, want to read this one so far?" He started gathering up the pages and shuffling them together in some sort of order. This all came to a stop with a wave from Liz's hand.

"Like I said, I'd love to. But even with the light from the fridge, I can barely see at the moment, much less read. I don't have the impressive ability to see in the dark like you do," she added with a wry smile.

Fingering the papers in a slightly disappointed way, Matthew returned her smile gloomily. After a moment, he admitted quietly, "It does give me a headache sometimes."

Liz stood up so suddenly that the boy nearly jumped in reaction. "Break up with her, Matthew. You won't admit it, but I know you're not happy! You deserve someone better, not that hag!"

He did not shush her this time, as her voice slowly rose with her anger. Instead he considered his script a moment, unconsciously tapping his pen against the coffee table. Finally he said, "No, I can't do that."

"Why the hell not?" She practically shouted, not caring if she woke anyone up. But when he looking up at her sadly, a pleading look in his eyes, all her rage left. She knew. He had already ruined his life, dropping out of college, no job, nothing left for him but the 'love of his life.' Maybe he had even had a falling out with his parents, in which case he really had no one to turn to. He feared the worst, and probably most rightly so.

Within, she began to slowly bubble with fury again. She held it back this time, however. Slowly, deliberately she said, "Don't worry, Matthew. I'll help you escape from Crystal's evil grasp. I don't know how or when, but I promise you that you won't have to deal with her forever. No one should have to endure her pompous ass of an attitude, especially you. You shall be freed of her tyranny. A vendetta has been formed, and I promise to... to... vendet!" She did not care that her last word was not a real one. It felt appropriate.

The boy stared at her for a time. His face was carefully schooled to be vacant, neither encouraging nor discouraging her. Eventually, a small grinned spread across his face. "You talk funny. I think I'll write a play about you."

A sound the suspiciously resembled a snort came from the hallway, grabbing both Liz's and Matthew's attention. The exchanged a look, but Liz was the first to make a move to go investigate. She slowly turned the corner that lead to the source of the sound, and came to a halt when a deep, detached voice said, "Pardon me."

It was only Will. He stepped out of the corridor and into the kitchen, making his way for one of the cabinets. "I just wanted to get a drink, if that's okay with you," he said smoothly as he pulled out a glass.

Without a moments thought, the brunette answered, "Well, it's your kitchen, I doubt I have much say in the matter whether you want a drink or not. In fact, you could hop onto the fridge and dance naked if you wanted, and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it."

He paused, staring at her with cup in hand. "...I wasn't planning on it."

_Gees, no sense of humor whatsoever,_ Liz thought blandly. She shook her can of orange soda before her, saying, "Well, I got what I came for. Night, Will. Good luck with that script, Matthew."

The seated boy nodded his good bye then began to concentrate on his paper again, scratching out a few lines. She got no response for the taller one that stood with her in the kitchen, and she had not expected one. As she returned to the room she shared with Jane, she wondered how much of her little rant Will had overheard. After taking a short sip from her soda, she decided it did not matter. Let him go tell Crystal, if that's what he decided to do. If she had to, she'd bring him down right along with the bloated tick. He could stand to be knocked down a peg or two anyway.

* * *

A/N: Yay for fun in the park and getting to know more about Hershey! I want a Hershey... I wouldn't abuse him tho like that nasty Crystal ;P That's it for Hershey tho for several chapters... like I said, he's gonna have his part later, but for now I just introduced him a bit. And sorry for the very few appearances of Will in this chapter. Don't worry, I make up for it in the next chapter... in fact, the next chapter is one of my favorites :D Hopefully you'll like it too! 

Sorry for the late update, I know I said I would try to do it every Friday until I got to a good stopping point, and here I've already failed... :( But I have (semi) good excuses! First, I have summer school at college and last week I had a midterm exam AND a huge programming assignment due, so I was understandably busy, hehe. Secondly, my boyfriend did a bad thing: he bought me Kingdom Hearts II. Now when I'm not busy, I spend my free time playing that instead of typing and editing like a good girl, tsk tsk! But KHII is just soooo much fun! And Axel is a sexy devil. I'm thinking my next story with be KH based, wouldn't that be a change? From classic novel to video game? But I really wanna do it! But we'll just see how long this one takes me and if I still want to do KH when I'm done...

Anyhoo, I'm done rambling! Hope you liked this chapter, and I hope the next chapter will be on time, but we'll have to see how my week goes and how much I allow myself to get distracted by my game, hehe. Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Nu-uh," Liz responded snappily to Charlotte's shocked face. "And not only that, she's got him doing her homework and vacuuming and who knows what else." She glared at nothing in particular as she remembered his words from the night before. She was not even attempting to pay attention to the Lit discussion that was happening in her classroom at that very moment.

The older girl whistled softly. As ignorant as the professor was of anything beyond her own lecture, the girls still tended to keep the random sounds they made low. "Poor Matty-boy. His life must suck. Treating a boyfriend like a slave in this modern day and age." After a second's thought, she continued, "Still, it's gotta be nice for Crystal."

"You did not just say that!"

Charlotte smiled sheepishly. "What, can't one honest girl admire a despicable girl's handiwork? It's pretty impressive."

"It's disgusting is what it is!" Liz harrumphed. "You know, sometimes I wonder whose side you're on. Anyway, not much happened after that besides me heading to bed. But this morning, boy, let me tell you what a joy that was."

"Oh?" The only nudge the sophomore gave her.

It was all she needed. "Oh yeah. First off, imagine five people. Now imagine cramming them into a small car. Tons of fun. The boys lucked out, Will being the driver and Charlie getting the passenger seat. I got to be squished in the back with the ever so lovely Carol and Crystal."

"My sympathies."

Liz let out a small laugh. "Thanks. It wasn't actually going too badly. Crystal spent most of her time glaring like a bulldog out the window at any living creature that went by, while Carol blew on her hot coffee and tried to ensnare Will with her witty chatter."

"Uh oh, I think I know where this is going." Charlotte began. "The hot coffee...?"

With a curt nod, Liz supplied, "...spilled..."

"...all over your pants..."

"... by accident, of course."

"Of course," Charlotte shifted her gaze downward. "I was wondering about that sweatshirt wrapped around your waist."

The offending item in question a soft, pastel purple with a fuzzy collar and poorly drawn, sickeningly cute bunnies bouncing around at the back. Embroidered across the top in pink, curly letters was, "Carrots, yum!" On arriving at the campus, Carol had dug it out of trunk of Will's car, saying it was hers from a few years ago. My, how she had changed. Liz had fought with herself for a while, wondering who came up with this junk and how it ever managed to sell. In the end, she had tied it around her middle, effectively hiding the coffee stain on her upper thigh. Oh well, at least she'd be sitting on it most of the time, most likely no one would notice.

"Yeah well, at least I didn't gratify Carol with any shrieks of pain from the scalding hot liquid. I bet she was waiting for it too. I just forced myself to grin and bear it."

Charlotte shot her a sly look. "You trooper, you."

"Oh, shut up. For the rest of the trip, I got to endure Carol giving me beauty tips. You know, things such as, 'Liiiiizzy sweetheart, you really shouldn't pinch up your face so, it'll give you wrinkles, and what a crying shame that would be!' I had half a mind to tell her what a 'crying shame' it would be that she would have to get that large stick up her ass surgically removed." Charlotte giggled at this. "But Charlie was in the car, so I would have felt bad being rude to his sister. Damn conscience, always getting in the way."

"And then you got here, took notes for your first class and then got to enjoy the pleasure of my company for the second," her friend finished for her. She nodded, and Charlotte grinned. "Ah, sounds like you've had a fun weekend. You know, I stopped by your place on Sunday, wondered where you had disappeared to. Imagine my surprise to hear that you were staying with Will and the rest. At first, I felt pity... and slightly amused." At Liz's scowl, she added, "Don't be like that. My opinion has changed... now I'm only amused."

"I'm glad you seem to enjoy my pain," she responded sourly.

"But of course! I mean really, Miss Eliza, not many people go through so much trouble just to make their friends laugh. But you, you go-" her voice was drowned out by the sudden wave of papers rustling and bags being shoved around them. It seemed class was over and everyone was in a hurry to get out. Liz and Charlotte were no exception.

As they jostled their way through the crowd, Charlotte continued to tease Liz. She received a few smacks from the freshman in return for her remarks, but it was all in good humor. They stepped out into the open air, leaving the raging stampede and moving off to one side in the shade.

"So, now what happens?" The frizzy haired girl asked as the din from their classmates slowly subsided.

Glancing down at her watch, Liz responded, "Well, I don't know about you, but I have to wait for Will. He's giving me a ride back."

"And more hilarity ensues," Charlotte grinned. Liz just rolled her eyes. "Are the goth queens joining you on the way back?"

"No, thankfully. They still have another class to go to." Liz's lips scrunched up unhappily, "Unfortunately, Charlie's not going to be there either. The class he normally shares with Jane ends about half an hour before this one, so he already left for the apartment."

Charlotte's eyes lit up wickedly. "Hmmm, some alone time together, huh? I wonder what naughty little Charlie's been up to all alone with a defenseless Jane."

"Oh, shush. There's nothing 'naughty' about Charlie what so ever, so get your mind out of the gutter."

"But my mind likes playing in the guck," Charlotte laughed. "Besides, if Charlie's not like that, then Jane better be. Remember what I said, she's got to snatch him up before anyone else does. What better opportunity than now?"

Liz just shook her head, her pony-tail wagging a bit behind her. "They have plenty of time, stop rushing them. They'll be fine... you know, there's a thing or two to be said about a good, long lasting relationship where people are actually in love."

"Yeah, but not much and certainly nothing nice. One word that comes to mind is Boring with a capital B," Charlotte said solemnly. Liz shook her head again. It was then that they saw Will, being among the last to leave the lecture hall's doors. "Ah, here comes Mr. Tall, Dark, and Arrogant himself. Now Eliza, I know how much you love the boy, but do try to keep your hands to yourself," Charlotte prodded as she began to walk away.

"You're sick!" Liz snapped as she threw a pencil at Charlotte's retreating back. It hit its mark, but just bounced off and rolled on the ground. The sophomore winked playfully at her friend over her shoulder as she trotted off.

"I believe you dropped this," Will said as he approached Liz, handing her the pencil she had used as ammunition.

_Oh, you know perfectly well that I didn't drop it, you snobbish jerk,_ her thoughts grumbled as she took it lightly from his hand. She then looked up at him, face as blank as his and waited. After a minute where nothing happened, he cleared his throat. Liz sighed inwardly. _I'm in for a LONG trip._

He began, "Well, shall w-"

"_Will!_ There you are!" A shrilly call cut through the air. Before their intended victim could move, Carol and Crystal had ambushed Will from both sides. Liz made a face. She nearly felt bad for the boy, but not quite.

"We've been looking all _over_ for you Will! Really, putting us poor girls through so much work," Carol chided him in a silky voice, her eyelids lowered and displaying her pure black eye shadow.

He turned his head to look at both of the darkly clad girls in turn. "You knew where my class was, it couldn't have been that hard."

Carol giggled and tapped him lightly on the nose in reproach as she said, "If it were that simple, we would have been waiting for you, silly. No, for that, you have to make it up to us. Walk us to our next class."

He frowned at her commanding tone. "But I need to drive Elizabeth back."

"Oh, Lizzy can spare you for a few minutes! Isn't that right?" A slight growl could be heard under her honey sweet voice as she shot Liz a look.

Without batting an eyelash and a benign smile on her face, she answered, "Of course."

"See, there, you happy? Now come!" She encircled her arm into his, linking their elbows together. Crystal snaked her arms into his free one, a smug smile on her blood-red lips. Liz would have loved to rip that grin right off her face, but refrained. _All in good time,_ she told herself. Matthew had been putting up with her for a couple of years, he could wait a little longer while Liz actually formed a plan. _All in good time..._

As the girls began to turn him away from Liz, he looked back at her. "Are you sure this is okay? If nothing else, you could come with us..."

Liz saw every hair on the back of Carol's neck raise at the very suggestion, and suppressed a laugh. "I think I'll pass. Besides, you don't have enough arms left for a third girl, and I would feel kind of awkward walking next to you guys, you three just make such a cute picture. No worries, I'll just meet you back at the car."

Carol immediately calmed down, but seemed to feel she was not in the safe zone yet. As she tugged rather forcefully on his arm, she insisted, "Let's _go_ already, Will." The girls then marched off looking remarkably like guards dragging away their prisoner between them.

As Liz began to walk in the opposite direction, she calmly reassured herself that she was almost free. _Just got to put up with them until tomorrow morning, and then Jane and I can leave that apartment of torment._

She slowly descended down the hill, fallen leaves disintegrating under her boots with a satisfying crunch. She leapt down the last of the slope into the small parking lot that hid within the depths of the campus's trees and overgrowth. The brunette assumed the lot was originally intended for professors and staff. But with so many students with so many cars looking for a place to park them, that notion probably had been thrown out the window years ago. She took her time crossing the blacktop, knowing it would probably be a while before Carol and Crystal let her ride back escape their clutches.

It was not hard finding Will's car. It stood out, to say the least. She stopped a few feet before it, staring at its sleek, silver body gleaming in the early evening sunlight. It was only with a slight pinch of jealousy that Liz began to pace around the convertible. Why were all the nice cars wasted on assholes?

Still, she did not envy the pretty penny that must have been put down upon it. She found it hard to imagine that any college student could afford such a thing and still live comfortably. She imagined the tall boy probably had to get by on a lot of cooked noodles and the occasional pizza Charlie was kind enough to buy him. The girl came to a stop once more in front of it, staring at her reflection on its flat surface.

A soft breeze began to blow by, causing Liz to shiver a little. She considered putting on the vile thing that pretended to be a sweatshirt wrapped around her waist, but quickly discarded that idea. Instead, she considered the corvette before her again. It had to be at least a little warm from sitting in the sun for several hours, didn't it? Liz climbed onto the hood, settling herself comfortably down and letting her back rest against the windshield. She was right. Tendrils of warmth seeped into her body as she relaxed. _Ahhh, this is the life... sitting on someone else's car,_ she thought contentedly, looking up at the sky.

She did not know how long she sat there before a cold voice said, "Get in."

The brunette turned her head to see Will unlocking the door to his car. She frowned. _No 'hello, how are you?' No, 'please will you...?' Not even a 'what the hell are you doing on my car?'_ she thought, annoyed. Liz was not a woman to be ordered around. She was suddenly in the mood to be difficult. "No," she responded, just as coldly as he.

His door stood open and he leaned against it, quirking an eyebrow at her. "No?"

"No."

"Do you plan on riding the entire way back on the hood of my car?"

Her lip twitched involuntarily. "Quite possibly," was all she said.

Will then climbed into the car, smoothly saying, "Then I suggest you put on Carol's sweatshirt, it might be a little windy."

Liz made a sound that was a mixture of surprise and anger. Sliding off his car, she untied the sweatshirt from around her and threw it at the windshield. As she made her way to the other side of the car, an unfazed Will rolled down his window, pulled the purple garment inside and tossed it into the backseat. He did not flinch when Liz slammed the door behind her and slouched into the passenger seat, not even bothering to buckle herself in. Without so much as a word, he started the engine and they took off.

Traffic was hectic, as usual at this time of day, at the corner of Mission and Bay. The line of cars was several blocks long and the streetlight seemed to only let three or four cars through at a time. _What were they thinking when the put a street with one lane so close to a university?_ Liz's voice grumbled in the back of her head.

She looked at the side mirror of the car, which reflected into the vehicle behind them. A young couple seemed to be chattering happily in their little rosy Beetle. Her gaze shifted to the bus stop down the way. A group of college students were talking rather animatedly about some girl they had just met, making crude innuendos that could be heard even from where she sat. Liz's hazel eyes then fell onto Will next to her, who just sat there, tight lipped, strands of his long blonde hair sweeping into his face. He drummed a few fingers lightly on the steering wheel in impatience. Not a word had been spoken between them since they had left. Not even the radio was going. The silence was beginning to bug her.

"Awful lot of traffic today. But then, there always is, " she commented blandly.

Will nodded, but did not attempt to carry on the discussion.

She waited a few seconds before saying, "You know, its customary when someone makes small talk, that the person gets a response. You don't have to say anything grand. Maybe make note of the number of cars, or mention that the light seems exceptionally long today."

He grinned, but it did not reach his emerald eyes. She did not think it did, anyway. It was hard to tell since he kept his eyes strictly on the road. "Whatever you wish me to say, tell me and I'll say it."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "That answer will do for now. We may continue in silence, contemplating on the deep, inner meaning of the dashboard before us. Perhaps, in a few minutes, I'll chose to say something about Mr. Tao's class today. Just letting you know in advance, so you'll have an answer prepared."

"Do you always plan out your conversations word by word?"

"Nah, life would get boring then, wouldn't it? But one can only sit in the car for so long without feeling the burden of having to say _something_ just for the sake of making noise." Liz now stared out the window, watching the ground roll by underneath them as they moved a few yards forward. When they came to a halt again, she continued, "I'll admit that for some people, scripting your dialogue in advance does have its advantages. For example, one could make it so that they talk the littlest amount possible, but still have said enough words as would be acceptable by society."

"Acceptable by...?" Will began. Liz almost thought she heard a laugh tingling behind his words, but she knew that to be impossible. "Tell me, Elizabeth, is this what you really think? Or do you imagine you're echoing my _own_ opinion."

_Look at Mr. Serious over here,_ she thought with a derisive snort. But he expected an answer, so she was only too happy to give him one. "I believe I'm doing both. You know, we're not that different, you and I."

"Why do you say that?" he asked quietly, as the car rolled closer to the front of the line.

She smiled at him as if they were knee deep in a shared conspiracy. "We're both social outcasts, loners... people sometimes consider us downright weird. Therefore, we hardly ever speak unless we feel it will amaze everyone around us, causing them to bow and scrape before us, throwing flowers at our feet and praising our almighty wisdom."

Will seemed to digest that information for a minute while the streetlight slowly drew nearer. Finally he said, "I'm sorry, but that really doesn't describe you at all. As for me, well, I guess I can't say..." he looked at her accusingly through the corner of his eye, "but I'm sure that you think it describes me perfectly."

"No comment," was the only answer she gave him, leaning her elbow against the armrest and placing her chin in her hand. The boy certainly made it easy to tease him. It almost took all the fun out of being in a bratty temper.

They continued on, no sound escaping either of them. Liz noticed with minor satisfaction that Will did seem to be a little more agitated than before. Apparently, she had hit a sore spot with him, though she could not pinpoint exactly what it was she had said for the life of her. Surely, the sophomore could not have fooled himself into thinking he was a charmingly witty guy that everyone just loved to be around. She did not dwell on her contemplation for much longer, however, as they were now only one car away from freedom and the light had just turned green. Once past the intersection, the little corvette rushed down a less cluttered side street and towards the apartment.

Wind began to pour in through both open windows as the car picked up speed, swishing Liz's ponytail behind her. It felt good, and perked up her spirit a bit. She looked at her driver once more. "Yo, Sparky." He made no outward sign he had heard her. "How's about letting the folding top of your car down and get some fresh air in here."

"Both windows are rolled down, we're already getting plenty of fresh air."

"That's just not the same," Liz complained, a small whine emitting from her throat. "How long have you had the car?"

He was quiet for a second, seeming to wonder at the turn of the conversation. "About a year and a half."

"That long?" She exclaimed in overacted shock. "You must never lower that thing. It still smells of new car in here and the cover-top does not even have a wrinkle in it. I'm guessing you never lower it." Will neither agreed nor disagreed with her statement. He just shrugged.

She pushed on, "What's the point of having the thing and not using it?" She tapped lightly in the cloth roof with a quick gesture. "So how about you pop it open for a bit, jailor?"

Still nothing. Liz smiled evilly at him. "If you don't, I'll start pushing buttons until I find it. And do I ever like pushing buttons."

"Fine," he growled and moved to oblige her. The black, cloth roof top buzzed softly as it folded down behind them. The resisting air pressed harder on their faces, playing with their hair and blowing it out back behind them. Liz sighed in contentment, stretching her arms above her. Abruptly, she got the urge to stand up. Not one to deny herself her whims, she grabbed onto the top of the windshield and pulled herself up, hugging the corner to her chest to keep her steadfast. She liked her new view, even if it was only a couple feet higher. Downtown blurred past her as she braced herself from the force that attempted to pull her back down into her seat.

"Get down," came Will's irate voice from behind her.

She held back a laugh. "Don't tell me you're actually worried about me?"

"I said, get down."

_There he goes again, being all impolite. Whatever_, Liz thoughts hummed in her mind. "No."

"You like that word, don't you?" his barely suppressed anger could clearly be heard with every word.

As they slowed down for another light, she responded, "It would appear that I do. Maybe if- hey!" She cried the last part in annoyance as she felt a yank at the back of her shirt and she plummeted back into her seat. She returned in full force the glare Will was shooting her direction as he removed his hand from the hem of her clothing. The car was now sitting at a halt once more.

She was about to have a few cross words with him, when all of a sudden his face was inches from her. _What's going on here, buddy?_ her befuddled brain questioned frantically. She pressed herself back into her seat, putting as much distance as she could between the two of them, which was not enough. She could not help noticing how warm his breath felt on her skin, or how deeply green his eyes were. Time slowed for the briefest moment. Then she saw that his hand was reached over her shoulder. Liz turned her head in time to witness him grabbing the seatbelt out of its corner and pulling it down over her chest. He snapped it into place, tugged at the belt to make sure it was firm, and then leaned back into his own respective chair.

The spell was broken. Liz let out a breath she had not known she had had caught in her throat. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest like a caged bird. _Foolish girl, _she belittled herself. _It's only Will, like he'd try to make a move on you. We already know how much he hates you, and, here's a shocker, you hate him too!_

She glowered down at her firmly fastened seatbelt. The brunette snapped, "Oh, right, like I can't undo that. I-" she was cut off again, but this time it was her by her own chosing. A peculiar scent had caught her off guard. It had made itself known as soon as Will had pulled away from her, and then had wafted away once more. She could not quite place it. "What's that smell?"

"What smell?" He asked, eyes on the light once more. All traces of anger were gone and he was his same old self once more: impassive, and annoyingly so.

"That messed-up cologne you're wearing. Kind of... chemically, is the best way I can think of describing it."

"I'm not wearing cologne," the golden-blonde responded flatly, pressing down on the gas pedal and taking off again. "What you smell is developer fluid."

"Developer...?"

He nodded. "I spilled some on me when I was in the campus's dark room earlier."

Liz frowned visibly. "You didn't go to a dark room today."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't, you did not have time."

The eyebrow got raised once more as Will said, "And you know my own schedule better than I do?" Liz made a noise of dismissal and looked away. "I stopped by in between our two classes."

The brunette contemplated that for a second, then asked, "What were you doing there?"

"Let's see, I was in a dark room, got developer spilled on me... maybe I was developing photos?" A condescending grin upturned his lips.

Liz's frown only deepened at his weak attempt at humor. However despite herself, she was still curious. "You have a camera?"

"I do. I'm an Art Major, concentrating on photography."

She snapped her head around at this, staring at him with wide eyes. _Will? Art? Does not compute. Isn't he above lowly majors such as that? Besides, what's with the discrete math and literature courses?_ Out loud, she repeated with disbelief coloring her tone, "You're majoring in art?"

His head declined in agreement.

Liz swept a strand of brown hair that was flying wildly about her eyes behind her ear. "Photography, eh? Got any photos?" He turned his head slightly, his cool eyes questioning, 'What do you think?' She added quickly, "I meant here, in the car."

"...I do."

"Can I see them?"

"No."

"But, I-"

"No," his stone cold voice reiterated.

"Fine! Now who likes the 'no' word, hmm?" She retorted huffily, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She did not even know why she bothered to ask. Her eyes probably were not good enough to 'grace his divine masterpieces.'

Talking to Will was getting her no where. It only seemed to aggravate both parties. Moreover, she had found out something about him, and she did not like it. He was a photographer. That gave him a hobby. Having a hobby meant having a life. And having a life made Will a person. It was much harder to hate someone when you saw them as a person and not just some tall, conceited stranger. No, Liz was not happy one bit. Even the quiet enveloping them was beginning to get to her.

She leaned forward and popped open the glove department and started shuffling through its contents.

"What are you doing?" Will inquired. The sophomore seemed neither offended nor surprised that she was going through his personal belongings. He sounded purely curious, if anything at all.

"Looking for your music CDs. I don't feel like flipping through the radio, there's never anything good on there anyway."

Will offered, "Try looking under your seat."

Liz made no thank for the suggestion. Just snapped the compartment shut and reached her hand down underneath her. After a second, she produced a small black, leather binder that contained several CDs within its depths. She flipped through the pages, pressing her lips together into a tight line. "Metallica, Cradle of Filth, Godsmack, Ra, Disturbed, Rage..." She snapped the binder shut without selecting anything. She shot him a serious look. "All good bands, really, but where's your more upbeat stuff?"

The boy flipped on his turn signal and was looking out his rear-view mirror as he asked, "Such as?"

"Oh you know, New Found Glory, Simple Plan, Greenday, Jimmy Eat World..." She was counting them on her fingers casually. She then screwed up her face in disgust. "Nothing like Backstreet Boys, mind you. But something... something that makes you move, like..."

"Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"

Liz shot him a fiery look that, if it could, would have scalded into his flesh and leave behind bleeding blisters. He was as expressionless as ever. But she knew he was mentally patting himself on the back for that little bit of cleverness.

"Ha ha, very funny, smart guy," she grumbled. "We all have our weaknesses, our little shortcomings and faults. One of mine just happens to be songs that lean towards the slightly kiddy variety, is that so bad?" Pause. "So, now that I've said mine, its your turn."

"My turn? For what?"

A breezy, half chuckle escaped her mouth. "Don't play dumb, what's your flaw? I'm sure you're not as perfect as you pretend to be."

A golden bang fought its way loose and began to wildly dance in Will's vision. He ignored it. "I don't pretend to be p-"

"Wait, wait, don't tell me, let me guess," she silenced him with a wave of her hand. Liz snapped her fingers and stated all too innocently, "I've got it. You're overly humble."

"No, I'm not going to-"

"No? Dang, I was sure that was it. Hmm, what else... you certainly aren't vain, that's for sure." She saw offense film over his eyes, and pushed on with a smirk. "No, definitely not that. Hmmm, I bet it's that you can never stop talking. That little motor mouth of yours just keeps going and going, don't it?"

He clamped his mouth shut in objection. Then started again, "I don't think-"

"You don't think? Well that is a failing indeed!" Liz said in mock sympathy.

"You shouldn't-"

"That can't be it. No, Will, I'm sure if you do any _one_ thing, its thinking. Maybe its not your personality, but some physical deformity I should be looking for."

"Physical def-?"

"You have six toes on one foot, don't you?"

"Absolutely not, I-"

"Hmmm, premature balding? I always thought that golden mane of yours looked a little fake. It's a wig, isn't it?"

"What? No!"

Liz clapped her hands together. "I got it! Now really, Will, it's nothing to be ashamed of, it's not your fault and you can't help it." She leaned towards him, lowering her voice to a whisper that could be barely be heard over the roar of the engine. "You're gay, aren't you?"

The car screeched to a stop. Liz looked around and realized they had arrived at the apartments. She _could_ get out now. But the trip had just started to get fun. She looked over at her driver, his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. "Well? I'm waiting. Or was I right on the mark with my last guess?"

He eased his hands from the wheel, flexing them a little. Will then looked over at her. She grinned angelically back at him.

Will sighed and looked away again, shaking his head. "I don't forgive easily," he mumbled.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" she pressed. "Go on."

"That' it, plain and simple. My trust, once lost, is lost forever."

Liz sighed. "How disappointing and unfair. I can't tease you about that one, but you still have every right to tease me about mine."

The boy looked back at her again, studying her. It went on for a few seconds before Liz decided she did not like. She snatched up her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. The fun was over. Time for a quick escape. "Thanks for the ride," she muttered, and was gone. The door shut quietly behind her and she dashed up the stairs to her haven.

The front door was wedged open as Liz came upon the apartment. She pushed it open to find Charlie and Jane lounging in the plush couch in the sitting room. They were going over the notes from the math class that Charlie had prepared. He had one arm wrapped around Jane's shoulders, who was resting comfortably into him and nodding with every word he said. Liz was struck with how adorable they looked together. While she questioned the how they chose to spend their time together (derivatives and graphs not being the most romantic thing the world), she could not believe that anyone else could look at the two and not realize they were in love. The scene was quickly shattered however when Liz's shadow fell across them and they both looked up at her.

Charlie rose to greet her as Jane waved happily from her spot on the couch. When asked how Jane was doing, Charlie said with just a hint of sorrow that she'd be well enough to leave the following day. When asked how the trip back was, Liz's only response was a shrug and, "Oh... uneventful."

* * *

Charlie held the door open as Liz climbed into the backseat of Will's convertible the next morning. Jane was not long to follow into the front seat, with Charlie closing the door behind both of them. They were the only three passengers for this journey, as no one else was needed. That, and Liz had the sneaking suspicion that no one else really _cared_ to see them off. Jane had scolded her for her words earlier, saying they were all just too busy. _Yeah, too busy enjoying having their apartment back to themselves,_ Liz mused as she turned to look up at the dwelling in question. 

_Still, I can't say that I'm sad to go. I think one more day there and I might have gone ballistic on its residents with nothing but my textbook and a packet of ramen. What a bloody mess that would have left behind._ As the car pulled out of the parking lot, Liz saw movement up in the window to the place she had called home for the past weekend. A shadowy, particularly tall figure stood there, watching their departure. She felt a chill go down her spine as she looked away.

_Creepy._. She then saw Charlie reach over from the driver seat and take Jane's hand in his. The blonde smiled shyly at him then turn her attention out her window. _Ah, return to normality. I could get used to this._ Unfortunately, all too soon normality would be going on a vacation without leaving Liz a phone number where she could contact it at.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I loved writing it. Can't you just tell they're destined for each other already? (sigh) young love:) Lady of Pemberley, glad you liked the mp3 player stuff, I have both those songs on mine too, but unlike Liz, I'm damn proud of those songs! Be proud of the Turtles! And, awwww, how sad that your KH game got erased before you could finish :( You should start it up again! I'm still working on KHII, as well as Chain of Memories since I never played that one. Trying desperately to finish it before I finish KHII, tho Maleficient keeps kicking my ass... which is bad, since everyone says she's supposed to be easy :'( Glad everyone seemed to like Matthew, I was a lil worried about him, hehe. And thanks to all you sexy reviewers out there: Mara look-a-like, Blossom1098, Dolphindreamer, MikoNoAisuru, Anne, JennaB, Marie, Missusmesser, and Esther. You all made my day :D 

Well, time for a little sad news. This is it for a few weeks, maybe a few months. As I said a chapter or so ago, I've been busy with summer classes, bleh. So that, combined with the two KH games I'm playing, and I got waaaay behind in writing. Luckily, next week is my last week of my computer class, so I'll have a lot more free time after that. Unfortunately, while I love writing, I'm still very slow at it... I overly think what I'm going to write and often it takes me a week just to get like a third of my chapters written. And since I write so slowly, I'll probably hold back on a few chapters as I go, so that when I do come back, I'll hopefully have at least 5 to 7 chapters to post :)

But I hope everyone has had fun reading my story thus far, you'll see me again one day, no doubt about that, just the question is when ;P Tell all your friends about this story so I'll have more fans to come back to when I do :D Keep an eye on my profile for any updates I'll have on what I'm up to. Until next time--


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: HI! Sorry about the long wait, and thank you all to those still around waiting for the next update! I meant to be back around January, but... life issues kind of slowed me down :-/ More on that later though! First, you must read the next exciting installment of _I'm the One You Love to Hate_, so here it is! Sorry, no Will in this chapter... but more on that later as well!

* * *

Chapter 8

"You mean to tell me you saw he had a _convertible_ and you didn't know he was filthy rich?" Missy cried incredulously.

Liz stammered, "Well, yes... I mean, no- I mean, it's just a car..." she finished rather lamely.

"Oh right, just a car worth tens of thousands of dollars. How dense can you be, Lizzy?"

"Hey!" She snapped back. "I knew it was an expensive car. I just thought that he had put all his college funds into it or something. How was I supposed to know that- no, why should I even _care_ that he's loaded."

"Who's loaded?" Came a cheerful chirp from the doorway. Jane had just stepped into the living room, swinging her bag in a carefree manner. She seemed happy to be back on her feet once more, even happy to be going to classes again. As she entered, Luc, who sat at the kitchen table doing a crossword puzzle, greeted her with a wave of his pen. Lydia was lounging in one of the living room's chairs, painting her nails in a rather bored fashion. Her red nail polish was labeled "Passion Berry." She did not even look up on Jane's entrance. Liz flashed her sister a quick grin before she returned to glaring at Missy.

As Jane took a seat next to Liz on the couch, Missy beamed down at the blonde. "Your boyfriend, Charles 'Big Bucks' Bingley, that's who!"

The blonde blushed as she spoke quietly, "He's not my boyfriend, and his middle name is most certainly _not_ 'Big Bucks.' But yeah, I already knew that."

"You knew?" Missy gasped in shock. Liz turned to raise an eyebrow at her twin. This was new. Since when did Jane not tell Liz everything? Then again, Liz hardly ever saw her anymore. There was not much time for 'little' details like that recently.

Jane answered with a shrug, "Yes, I did. But I never really thought it was a big deal." She paused to contemplate her R.A. "But how did you find out?"

Her surprise already forgotten, Missy said in a matter of fact tone, "Simple. You know when I came to check up on you over the weekend? Well, I got a good look at their apartment."

"So it's a nice apartment, big deal," Liz cut in.

"Nice nothing. If you had been thinking straight, you would have realized that no college student should be able to afford an apartment that good and have half the stuff they had there. At least, no _normal_ college student. So when I got back, I checked a few names online."

Liz snorted. "What you did was snoop."

"What I found," Missy continued loudly, "was that our boy Charlie is the heir to a small company worth millions, meaning that boy has quite the hefty sum in his bank account. Not only that, but his oh so charming friend, a Mr. William Darcy, has enough money to make Charlie look like chump change. What he's worth is enough in itself to get him quite a bit of recognition online." Missy sighed overdramatically. "It's too bad he doesn't have the personality to go with the money. Still, some smart women who want to be set for life might be able to put up with it."

The brunette's scowl deepened as she said, "You mean some _idiotic_ women."

"Oh, quiet down, Lizzy. I wasn't talking about you, the likes of him doesn't deserve you. Just thinking that it's too bad it turned out this way." Missy made another long, drawn out sigh.

"What's the point of this conversation anyway?" Jane asked. "Charlie and Will are rich, so?"

Missy clapped her hands as she responded, "Sooo, the point is that I'm so happy for you! You have a rich boyfri- I mean, _friend_." She added the last part as Jane shot her a warning glance.

"So they have a lot of money, woohoo," Liz spat with a roll of her eyes. "Can we change the subject? How about you, Luc? Anything fun happening with you? Has to be, there always is."

The gangly boy looked up from his crossword. He started tapping his pen on his lower lip as he thought about the question. Missy stared at him, cheeks puffing, obviously impatient to keep the old conversation going, but also wanting to respect her boyfriend. Finally, he snapped his fingers together and smiled into the living room. "Why in fact, I do have something to tell you all. Not sure how fun it is exactly, but oh well. This Friday, we'll be having a guest stay with us for a little while."

The frown on Missy's face vanished as she turned to Jane. "It's Charlie, isn't it? You sly seductress, why didn't you tell me? Oh, this makes me so happy! We have to start getting ready! We'll need to restock the fridge, buy new clothes, get a ma-"

"No, not Charlie," Luc interjected, saving Jane from Missy's onslaught. "Though feel free to restock the fridge, we're getting low on Rocky Road ice cream, and you know how I can't operate without Rocky Road ice cream. No, our new arrival is actually a cousin of mine."

Lydia paused to look at her brother quizzically. "We have a cousin?"

"Indeed, we do! One that is so distant that I did not even know we had it until I got the email from our parents this morning." He sent Lydia a crooked smile. "I'm guessing you didn't know either?"

She shook her head as she went back to applying her nail polish. "Gee, what was your first clue?"

"The fact that you asked, 'we have a-'"

"I was being sarcastic, dimwit," Lydia hissed at her sibling.

Luc grinned as he responded, "I know."

Missy, whose head had been swishing back and forth to watch the pair talk, took this moment to ask, "And does this cousin have a name?"

"Yup," her boyfriend answered distractedly, squinting his eyes down at his crossword once more. "It's Collin de Bourgh."

The R.A.'s head snapped around to look at Luc once more. She cried, "De Bourgh? As in _Catherine_ de Bourgh?"

Smiling a little wider, he said, "No, as in _Collin_ de Bourgh." When Missy looked like she was going to smack him, he added, "But his mother does go by Catherine."

"Who's Catherine de Bourgh?" Jane piped up. Missy turned to face her, looking as if she had completely forgotten she and her sister were in the room.

"Only the richest woman on the western coast of the United States! How could anyone not know?"

Luc muttered, "I bet the only reason you know is because you were hunting down certain rich people on the internet last weekend."

Missy shushed him angrily before questioning casually, "Do you know if Collin is... spoken for?"

"My parents seemed to leave out that important fact, because I'm sure they most certainly care," Luc answered with amusement. "Why, looking to replace me?"

"Never, sweetie! I'm hurt that you would even joke about such things!" Her pained voice quickly turned to scheming however. Liz could sense what was coming even before Missy opened her mouth again to say, "I was thinking more along the lines for the rest of the girls. Lizzy's still single, as well as Mary, Kitty, and Lydia."

"Eeeew!" Lydia wrinkled her nose in disgust at Missy. "He's my _cousin_. No matter how distant or rich he is, it's not happening. Besides, I'm far from single, I have three dates this weekend with three different guys."

"Ah, dear, sweet innocent sis getting to date, drink, and who knows what else with the entire basketball team. If only our parents could see you now, I'm sure they'd be so proud," Luc sighed with a mocking sniffle. Lydia just snorted and blew on her freshly drying fingers.

Having been politely silent the entire time, Liz decided now was a good time speak up. "Wait, rewind way, way back. He's staying with _us_? Why's he not staying with you, Luc, and when were you planning on telling us we had an unexpected house guest?"

"I believe I just did," Luc replied, eyes gleaming mischievously. Despite herself, Liz could not help laughing. "Anyway, don't worry about it, he won't be here all the time. He'll stay with me a lot, especially at the beginning, but the main reason he is coming up is to get a look at college life, since he starts next year. You know, see what classes are like and how to live with a bunch of other people without going crazy. Since I live by myself, I figured he would get a better experience staying up here some of the time."

"I suppose that makes sense," Liz conceded. After a moment, she asked, "So, when does our guest arrive?"

"My parents said some time around five in the afternoon on Friday, but I hardly think he'll be on time."

* * *

On the contrary, their house guest was indeed right on time. In fact, it would appear that he actually arrived early. At 4:58, Kitty happened to look out the living room window to find a boy standing outside their front door. He stared at the door in a rather determined way, but did nothing else. His arms were firmly at his side, he did not shift from one foot to the other, nor did he look around. Kitty brought everyone to the window stare at him as well. Just when the group had decided that the stranger was not even breathing, he lifted his hand and knocked on the door. Liz checked her watch. Sure enough, it was 5 o'clock right down to the second.

Missy pushed Liz towards door. "Answer it," she ordered.

She hesitated for a moment, then reached out for the knob and pulled. As the door opened, she got a better look at the man known as Collin de Bourgh. He was short, just barely coming up to the height of her nose. Eyes that were a dull black color hid behind a pair of square, thick rimmed glasses. His hair was of the same shade as his eyes and was slicked back by what seemed to be way too much gel. His face was almost as greasy and oily as his hair was. He was not exactly fat, or even chubby, but you could definitely spy a slight pear shape to his figure. His dress was fairly normal, boring even, with a pocket protector full of black pens on the left breast of his clean, white shirt.

He smiled at Liz, but it was all business, no happiness what so ever. "Hello. I'm Collin de Bourgh, I was informed I could meet a Mr. Luc Bennet at this address. Is he present?"

"Uh... yes, he is. He's right over there," she said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, back inside.

"Very good. And you would be... my cousin, Lydia?" He asked in a buzzing, nasally voice that sounded uncertain.

Liz shook her head quickly and glanced over her shoulder. "No, she's standing over there next to her brother." As she returned her gaze to him, she said, "I'm Elizabeth, just one of Lydia's housemates."

"How lovely," he responded, then stuck out his hand as if to shake hers. She would have rather not take it, but she did not want to be rude. As she placed her hands in his, he gripped it with surprising strength for one his size, raised it to his lips and placed a rather sloppy kiss on the back of it.

She pulled it back as quickly as possible, ignoring the snicker behind her that she assumed was Lydia. As she rubbed it on the back of her jeans, she asked while trying not to grimace, "Won't you come in, Collin?"

"Would love to," he grinned again. It seemed more weasel-like than the first time. He stepped through the doorway, dragging a large backpack on wheels behind him.

After everyone was introduced, they all took seats in the living room, Collin crammed in the middle on the sofa with Mary on one side, Luc and Missy on the other. Silence surrounded them, save for the occasional clearing of throats. Liz examined Collin coolly out of the corner of her eye. At first, the newcomer had been looking around at everything and everyone with interest. After a time, she noticed that his eyes kept returning to Jane, sitting in the chair across from him. They lingered on her longer and longer each time. It got to the point where Liz felt that if she were in her sister's place, she would begin to feel thoroughly creeped out. However, if Jane was at all concerned, she gave no sign. She just smiled warmly back at Collin.

"Collin! Are you hungry?" Missy asked so suddenly that Liz jumped in her seat.

"Yes, actually, quite famished," he answered cheerfully. Liz raised an eyebrow. _Didn't think anyone under the age of fifty still used the word 'famished'._

Missy stood up then, stating, "Well then, it's a good night for it. We haven't gone grocery shopping for food yet, so our fridge is empty. Meaning we get to go to the dining hall and try some good, old fashion college food."

"Splendid!" He cried with more enthusiasm than any respectable college student would have. A collective groan could be heard from Kitty and Lydia, but no other protests were made. Everyone was on their feet once more and out the door.

At first, their walk was devoid of all conversation as it was before. However, Collin eventually spoke up. "About the dining hall... I was wondering..."

"Yes? What's that?" Missy prodded encouragingly.

"Well... I'd like to know if we are required to bring our own cooks? Is that allowed? Or do we have to rough it and make the food with our own two hands?"

Luc spluttered and hid a smile behind his hand. Missy laughingly answered, "No, no, the university has its own cooks."

"Oh? Five-star, I hope?" Collin guessed.

"He's obviously never had the swill the campus calls food," Liz muttered to Mary. The shorter girl snorted.

Missy gave the oily boy a bewildered smile. "I'm not really sure actually. It's edible at least..."

"Excellent!" He exclaimed. _Since when did 'It's edible at least' get the response 'excellent?'_ Liz wondered with another raise of an eyebrow. Once more, a hush fell over the group.

Luckily, they had just gone through the front entrance of the dining hall. As they moved further in, they walked through a small lounge that connected the mail room to the food quarters. In it was an old piano that students practiced on daily, ranging from those who were professional to those who just loved to torture others with the horrible sounds they produced. At the moment, it lay empty.

Collin was let in on Missy's meal plan. After a few things were pointed out, such as trays, silverware, drinks, and desert table, they split up to hunt down their own food and meet up at a dining table in a few minutes.

Liz made directly for the salad bar. She was by no means a vegetarian, but today she just did not find herself all that hungry. As she began to toss some lettuce and various veggies into her bowl, she realized that she had been joined by Luc and Jane.

"So, what do you think about our new dear friend, Collin?" Luc asked, tossing a watermelon slice onto his tray.

Liz screwed up her face. She really had not spent enough time with him to know him yet. She _did_ however have an opinion of him, and not the best one at that. "Well... how to say this nicely... I think he might be not all there. You know, that he's not exactly playing with a full deck."

"You thought so too? Good, I was afraid there for a minute," the lanky boy replied with satisfaction.

Liz tilted her head to one side. "Afraid of what? That you were going crazy?"

"No, afraid that he _wasn't_ crazy. Now I know I can sit back happily and enjoy whatever goofy thing he says or does next."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't be disappointed," Liz agreed with a chuckle.

"You two stop it!" Jane objected, a hint of annoyance in her tone. "Collin is a perfectly sweet boy. He may be a little... over enthusiastic, but there is nothing wrong with that."

"And did you see how _enthusiastically_ he was checking you out, Sis?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "He was not 'checking me out.' He was just trying to make a good impression. Strong and steady eye-contact is a part of that."

Liz snorted scathingly. "He was making eye contact alright, but with two things about twelve inches lower than _your_ eyes."

"_Lizzy!_" Jane scolded. The brunette did not look up, just continued to pour on her salad dressing. Shaking her head, Jane left the food section to find a table.

"Shall we make our way out for some Collin dinner-time fun?" Luc asked over Liz's shoulder. She looked at her salad, decided it was done and quirked a half smile. With a nod, they followed Jane out.

The three of them were the first out into the dining hall with their food. They found the closest table to a window they could and then claimed it as their own. They were soon followed by all the others, each coming one or two at a time. Collin was the last to arrive. As he took his seat, he made a noise of approval. "Hmmm, wonderful chairs you have here. Very sturdy and provide good back support."

"They're uncomfortable," Kitty grumbled, scooting her own further into the table.

"Not uncomfortable at all! That just means its encouraging good posture, and we all know how important that is. Yes, these are indeed delightful chairs, perfect in size and good, strong legs to support them."

"Collin, it's a _chair_," Lydia emphasized. It was quickly becoming clear that she was beginning to wonder if this really was her cousin or an imposter sent to destroy her reputation.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" he replied with slow smile. Lydia stared at him for a moment, as if not quite sure what that statement exactly meant. She dropped her eyes however with a disgusted grunt and concentrated on her food. Collin clapped his hands lightly over his tray then rubbed them together as he said, "So, there was a nice selection of food to choose from, where do you think I should begin?"

Liz looked down at his tray and frowned. "You took _everything_? Sure that's a good idea? I don't think a PB and J sandwich goes with garliced ham."

"Nonsense. It all looks so good, how could it not all go together? Now, what do you think this purple and green stuff is?"

"You don't even know what all of the stuff you picked up is? I'd say that's a dangerous game to play, like Russian Roulette on your taste buds," Luc put in.

Liz examined the lump of food Collin was referring to. "I _think_ it was once eggplant and green beans, but not sure what it is now."

"All I know," Missy spoke up with a thoughtful frown, "is that it had the word 'surprise' in its name, and I really did not what to find out what the surprise was."

"Enough jibber-jabber," Collin stated, and with that took a spoonful of the stuff and shoved it in his mouth. Liz mouthed the word 'jibber-jabber' questioningly to her sister, aversion coloring her face. Jane just rolled her eyes again and ignored Liz. Collin chewed his mouthful for a little bit with a thoughtful look. He then grinned and said, "Mmmmmm, delicious." Lydia made a gagging noise from across the table, but he did not notice.

A few moments passed where nothing could be heard from their table besides the sounds of eating. Collin was once again the first to talk. "Do I hear a piano playing? How nice, lovely music to go with our dining."

Liz perked up her ears for a second. Sure enough, she could hear distantly someone playing the piano they had past on their way in. "Hey... I recognize that. It's Mozart."

Jane, who had stopped working on her plate to listen as well, shook her head. "No, it's Chopin. Nocturne Opus 15, if I'm not mistaken."

"That's not what I meant. I mean the _person_ at the piano is Mozart. Well, obviously not _the_ Mozart... I don't really know his name, since I've never met him. But I named him that since I know whenever it's him. The songs he plays and with that style... I just know. Never get tired of it."

"You enjoy the piano then, Elizabeth?" Collin asked her, a weighing look entering his eyes.

"Love it. In fact, I wanted to be a pianist when I grew up, but that didn't work out. After a Summer's worth of lessons, I still sounded like a retarded monkey plunking away at the keys. I knew better than to keep abusing my teacher with my horrible temper and even worse playing, so I quit." She said the last part with a shrug. When Collin still just stared at her, she asked, "What do you plan to do with your life?"

Collin grinned as if he had some great news he could not wait to share. "I'm going to be a lawyer as Mama suggested." Lydia snorted, covering her mouth with a napkin. Again, she went unnoticed. "Always been such a safe career where one can make a lot of money. Besides, Mama told me that's what she always wanted for me, that she dreamed of the day I would become one. Far be it from me to disappoint the wonderful woman that brought me into this world."

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'Mama'?" Lydia asked, pulling the napkin away from her mouth again.

"Why, yes I did. Of course, I'm referring to my noble mother, Miss Catherine. But I find that such forms of endearment, like Mama, delight her ever so much, and I do so love to see her happy. I feel that I owe it to her. I would do anything to please her."

"_Anything?_" Kitty asked, pressing her lips together tightly in attempts to hide a wicked smile.

"Anything," he repeated solemnly. Lydia and Kitty burst into giggles. Liz truly did not want to know what 'anything' implied in their immature minds. She just shared a pained look with Jane while Missy shot the two girls a glare.

Luc leaned forward over his now empty plate. "It's so nice to see a boy trying so hard to please his mother now-a-days. Tell me, do you happen upon these moments of playing the good son by chance? Or do you plan them carefully to optimize your mother's approval?"

"Oh, for the most part, I must thank God for every lucky chance I get to make her happy." His eyes whisked around briefly, then he leaned forward himself as if to share some big secret. He continued in a hushed tone, "Sometimes I do daydream up little situations where I could only make dear Mama even more joyful, playing out every little detail in my head. But should the chance actually arise for such to occur, I do my best to appear as unstudied as possible. It's better that way."

"I... see," was all Luc said. He leaned back with a large smile on his face. Liz knew he was getting a real kick out of this guy.

"Mama's boy," Lydia snickered. Kitty giggled again, making shushing noises at her friend.

Collin's head snapped over to them. "Excuse me?"

Lydia smile innocently. "Oh, nothing. I was just saying... 'attaboy! You know how to make your mom happy!"

"Oh... thank you," he grinned once more at them. Liz decided she did not like his smile at all. It always looked forced, robotic even. Like he knew he should be smiling, but he just did not quite know how to do it. She shrugged off the thought and finished up the last of her salad.

The walk back to the apartment was filled with Collin chattering about his precious Mama. It seemed once you got him started, there was no shutting him up. In between each new flattery of the woman, Liz learned that Collin had a sister as well. Apparently she possessed his adored mother's beauty and intelligence, but did not quite have the same social skills. Oh well, there was charm in her silence as well, Collin boasted. He also sincerely wished that at least _one_ of the girls had the opportuned chance to meet his family one day. As he said this, his eyes blatantly scanned from Jane to Liz and back again. The brunette had a feeling she knew what that statement and look implied, but hoped that she would never actually find out.

"So, now what?" Missy asked as they stepped into their living room once more.

Checking her watch, Mary mumbled, "It's still early, but I don't know. Maybe watch TV?" The dark-haired girl shrugged. It was the most she had said all night.

"Perfect!" The R.A. said with a firm nod. "Collin can see what channels we can get here and when his shows are on. Always an important part of college life, planning your homework around the TV schedule!"

Liz frowned. "If that's all we're going to do, I think I'll go back to my room. I got some reading to do for-"

"Stay," Missy hissed, shooting her a meaningful glance. With a muffled sigh, Liz plopped down on the couch next to her twin.

"Ah yes, I always did think a few minutes of television a day was good for the soul," Collin said, cheerily taking up one of chairs. "There's so much on it, both education and mirth, truly quite a helpful tool for society."

"Right," Lydia said, with a blank look on her face as she pushed buttons on the remote, slowly flipping through the channels. After they passed by a few shows, Lydia decided to stop on Cartoon Network. _Teen Titans_ was playing at the moment, and she and Kitty both settled back to be entertained.

Collin looked distressed. "Oh. We're watching a cartoon?"

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" Lydia challenged.

"Well... Mama never let me watch any of those. She always told me they rot the brain and are not suitable for anyone of a sound mind. As I'm sure you picked up by now, Mama is quite enlightened and would know about such things. She's always right. I hardly think this is a proper show for young ladies anyway, especially one of which is my dear cousin," he finished as one of the skinny, caped heroes on the screen punched a shadowy villain.

Lydia looked at him coolly out of the corner of her eye before sneering, "Too bad, deal with it."

"Lydia," Missy snapped with a scowl. "Give the remote to Collin and let him watch what he wants to watch. I'm sure we'll _all_ enjoy it." She sounded for all the world like someone telling two little kids to share.

"Fine," Lydia snapped as she tossed the remote at Collin. He fumbled with it a moment before getting it comfortably in hand.

He smiled sheepishly at Missy, "That truly was not necessary, but I thank you." With that, he started flipping through the channels once again. He took a long time in deciding, his greasy face scrunched up in thought. When he finally came to a stop and satisfaction filled his face, Lydia gasped in horror.

"We are _not_ watching the weather channel!" She cried, standing up.

Missy shot the younger girl another scowl. "Sit down and enjoy it."

It amazed Liz that Lydia actually listened. Maybe the tone in the R.A.'s voice actually held some sway on the girl. Or maybe she was afraid it would get back to her parents somehow that she was not exactly being the best host to her cousin. Whatever it was, she sat roughly down in her seat once more, glaring at the screen.

However, her submission was short lived. After a few minutes of the reporter talking about partially cloudy skies this upcoming Monday, Lydia's face brightened up and she turned to Kitty. "So, did you hear how much Denny was flirting with me today?" She asked loudly, her voice drowning out the TV. "I think he's going to ask me out the next time we see him. Oh what should I wear? Maybe that red halter top with that-"

"_Lydia!_ That's enough!" Missy face was going red with anger. _Man, certainly don't want to piss her off when she has a house guest,_ Liz noted with a wry smirk.

Before the freshman could snap back, the TV powered off with a soft hum. Everyone looked to Collin, who placed the remote lightly on the table before him, a frown deeply creasing his face. "Well," he said, suppressed anger in his voice. It was hard to take him seriously however, for the nasally sound to it increased with his aggravation. "Well, I guess that's enough of that."

"Oh no, Collin. We were enjoying it, really we were. Weren't we?" Missy shot hastily around the room.

Jane was the first to speak. "Of course we were. The weather channel is always informative. You liked it, didn't you, Liz?"

The brunette wrinkled her nose at her sister. Damn her nice streak. "Oh, I loved it, really I did," she muttered with no feeling whatsoever behind her words. "Please continue, we would love to see more on clouds, wind currents, and... um... thermometers?"

"No, I know when the finer things in life are not appreciated. I am grateful for your sentiment, ladies, but it is apparently not held by... everyone," he shot a look at Lydia. She just smiled back with a lack of concern.

Slowly, the hostility that filled the room subsided. Missy finally started allowing everyone to retreat to their rooms, most likely in hopes of avoiding another incident. Jane decided to stay in the living room however, along with Missy, Luc and Collin. Liz unhappily stayed as well. She still did not like the looks he was giving her sister, and wanted to stay to make sure Jane did not do or say anything to encourage the weasel further.

A couple of hours passed, which were filled with a few card games and more talk of dear Mama. Liz now found herself alone with Jane on the couch, and Luc, Missy, and Collin talking quietly in the kitchen.

"So, still think he's just an 'enthusiastic' young man?" Liz asked quietly, shuffling a deck of cards.

Jane smiled softly at her sister. "Honestly, Liz, lighten up on him. He's probably just nervous what with so many new faces at once and all."

Liz looked up at the second group. Collin was staring at them, nodding as Missy spoke. The red-head's mouth was moving rapidly and a big smile was on her face. Luc was just standing by, shaking his head. Liz looked back at her sister. "He watches the weather channel for fun," she pointed out as if that's all anyone needed to know about him.

"Okay, he's a little weird too. Isn't everybody? Don't get me started on you," she poked playfully at Liz.

"Weird doesn't even come close. I'm seriously questioning if he even came from this planet. Maybe he was an alien, and Mommy-dearest hatched him as an egg and he's just so grateful that she's kept his secret for so long, he can't shut up about her."

"I told you not to get me started on you," the blonde chuckled. Liz just grinned back. "Be right back, gotta run to the bathroom." With a pat on her sister's knee, Jane was up and walking down the hall.

Liz was not alone for long. Luc eventually broke away from the little group he was a part of, and took up Jane's vacated spot. His girlfriend was still in deep conversation with Collin. "Ah, what a fun filled day. Almost wish it didn't have to end, don't ya?" He winked.

"I wanted it to end hours ago. Aren't you taking him to your place tonight? Shouldn't you have left a while ago?"

"Do you really think I want to be left alone with the nut job?" Luc asked with a laugh. Liz smiled in agreement. "I was just trying to put it off as long as possible."

"Well I'm sure you're at the point where you can just take him back, say your tired, and go to bed." Liz informed him.

With a sigh, he answered, "Will do, but got to wait until Missy and he are done talking. Oh, by the way, you'll be glad to hear that he's no longer interested in Jane."

"Oh really? How'd that happen?" Liz asked with genuine curiosity.

"He was asking Missy a whole lot of questions about her, but she eventually cut him off. She told him that Jane already had a boyfriend. He seemed disappointed at this, but not for long."

Liz smiled again with relief. "Why didn't I think of that? Sure, she claims that they're not seeing each other, but she and Charlie are certainly more than enough excuse to deter Collin. That's good."

"Don't start leaping for joy yet," he said. His smile turned mysterious in a way that put Liz on edge. "You may find yourself not so happy in a few minutes."

"Why's that?" she questioned, her smile disappearing rapidly.

He pursed his lips for a moment before answering, "Well, let's just say that Missy felt bad that she had to let down Collin so much when she told him Jane was taken. Far be it from her to not point out other... eligible women."

Liz lowered her eyebrows, confused for a moment. "What's that supposed to mean? Why don't you ever just come straight out with it, Luc? Just say- " she interrupted herself in a moment of realization and shock. "Oh no. She wouldn't."

"She would," Luc said sadly. Liz turned in her seat to find Collin approaching her. _She wouldn't dare,_ her mind pleaded. He lowered himself down on to the couch cushion next to her. She felt her skin crawl at the sight of how close he was to her. She inched back a little ways.

"So, Miss Elizabeth," he cooed at her. _She wouldn't,_ her mind repeated once more. "May I call you Lizzy?"

Liz cleared her throat. Her mouth suddenly felt dry and scratchy as she replied, "I'd prefer it if you wouldn't."

"So, Lizzy," he continued, "I hear your a Literature major, correct? I find that very refreshing. Maybe we should get to know each other better?" he smiled at her once more, showing his horse-like teeth. _She wouldn't, she wouldn't, she wouldn't, she wouldn't,_ was all her mind could cry, it was not functioning otherwise. Collin scooted over closer to her on the couch.

"I- I don't know if that's the best-" she tried to protest, her mouth having a hard time forming around the words.

"Of course, I already know you think that's a wonderful idea. Maybe we should get together for lunch this weekend? We could make it... private?" As his large, clumsy hand slowly made its way to cover hers, Liz's brain finally snapped into focus. _She would. Damn that nosy, conniving... ugh, she would!_

Liz sat up fast, putting the table between her and Collin. With a nervous laugh that trilled slightly, she said, "Oh, I don't know what's come over me, but I'm suddenly so very, _very_ tired. Good night." And she dashed out the living room. As she walked quickly past the kitchen, she gave Missy at nasty look. "You," she hissed.

"You'll thank me later," the R.A. said confidently.

"Don't count on it," was all she grumbled before she continued her quick retreat to her room. She nearly bumped into Jane as the girl left the bathroom.

"Liz, what- " she began.

"Don't ask," the hazel-eyed girl barked as she slammed the door behind her, leaving her sister in pure bewilderment.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ So... yay, Collin has shown up! Come on, we all know you love this guy! ... well not really, but it seemed like the thing to say. As I mentioned earlier, there is no Will this chapter, and now you have read for yourself that that is in fact true. There is a little bit of him next chapter, but really you're just going to have to wait until the Halloween Party chapter... and believe me, that one is one doozy in length! Don't worry, you won't have a wait long for it though. As for next chapter, someone else makes their entrance, I'm sure you all can guess who... someone we all know and hate... that's right, you _know_ who.

As for my disappearance, again, sorry about that. I did give you all a fair warning that I was going to be gone for a while... just hadn't thought it was going to be for so long. I wanted to have at least 7 chapters in this next set I released for this story, to balance out with the first 7. But right around finishing up the fifth chapter, like I mentioned earlier, life stuff happened. Love life stuff, to be exact. _Good_ love life stuff... but the fact that it's good makes it bad... and as I'm sure you may or may not know, it is rather difficult to write or do much of anything when you have to deal with love life stuff, good or bad. So, that's why I got delayed... I got distracted by all this stuff around the fifth chapter, and didn't want to release any of it until I got to the 7th chapter... which I didn't by the way. I only have 5 new chapters for you... but I felt you all had waited long enough! Who knows, maybe I'll get in the writing spirit soon enough and I have the next few chapters ready by the time I get to them. We'll just have to see in a few weeks, won't we?

Anyhoo, next update should be coming sometime next weekend, so be patient and you shall be rewarded!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Liz awoke before noon the next day, greeting the Saturday with a drowsy look on her face. Her mind pleasantly buzzed with emptiness, no thoughts of any kind passing through it. She barely noticed that the living room and kitchen was not alive with the usual early risers. She idly guessed they had had early morning errands to run or maybe just wanted to meet up with a few friends. She shrugged off the thoughts as she yawned and lazily made her way to the couch to see what was on TV.

A knock at the door halted her for a second. Either someone had forgotten their keys, or they had an unexpected guest. She guessed the second case, and wondered who in their right mind had taken it into their head to disturb her so early on a Saturday morning? _Okay, fine, rather LATE on a Saturday morning, but still._ Grumbling, she altered her route to answer it.

Squinting her eyes in preparation for the sunlight she knew would be pouring in momentarily, she opened the door. Her eyes popped open in a mixture of surprise and horror. For there on the door mat, stood Collin, smiling that same smile that made her want to shudder. She knew that subconsciously she had been hoping the entire time the boy and the night before had all been some twisted nightmare. But there he stood now, same hair, same glasses, and same outfit. Worse, there was a bouquet of wilted flowers in his hand. She had a sinking feeling she knew who they were for.

As he opened his mouth to utter a greeting, he stopped with a grunt as Liz pushed passed him and dashed down the stairs. She ran all the way parking lot, scanning angrily around. There! There was Luc's car, and it was driving away quickly. She ran after it, shouting many obscenities for everyone within a 20 yard radius to hear. But the little vehicle just sped up, leaving Liz alone in the parking lot. Huffing from anger and exhaustion, she glared at the dust cloud Luc had stirred up with his car in his get away. How dare he leave that slimy boy at the door for her to deal with. She would make sure he paid dearly for it later.

A few minutes later, Liz was back at her front door. The walk had calmed her down a bit, what with plotting several different ways to kill Luc slowly, debating which were more painful. She entered her apartment to find Kitty and Lydia at the kitchen table with Collin. _They_ were not among the early risers Liz had thought of before, she knew this already. Apparently, she had woken them up with the ruckus she had made, both in the apartment and in the parking lot.

"Gee, thanks," Liz said grudgingly as Collin handed her the flowers. As she looked for a glass large enough to keep them in, she asked, "Have you eaten already, Collin?"

"No, not at all. I was thinking you and I could go somewhere together to eat and... discuss some of the things I mentioned last night." He grinned at her, attempting to charm her with what she guessed was supposed to be a suave smile. She just looked away quickly, hiding her disgust.

This was not what she had expected in his answer. She had been planning to offer him some of the cereal Kitty and Lydia now guzzled down, not to go on some lunch date with the guy. "How lovely," she muttered, turning a frantic gaze to the other girls. "What do you two plan for the day?"

"Nothing much," Lydia said around a mouthful of cereal bits and marshmallows. "Just heading to the Boardwalk as usual. Heard Denny might be there today, so I was hoping to bump into him, accidentally of course."

"Oh, that's _right_!" Liz cried smacking her forehead. Feigning disappointment, she continued, "I completely forgot! We are _all_ going to go to the Boardwalk together today."

Lydia's spoon stopped half way to her mouth. "We are?"

"Yes, we are," the brunette replied forcefully. Turning back to Collin, she said added hastily, "You are, of course, invited."

Collin pouted, his face wrinkling in the most unappealing way. "Oh. But I wanted to spend the day alone with you, Lizzy."

A low growling sound could be heard from the other side of the table. Apparently, Lydia was not too keen on this idea. Liz ignored her as she answered, "I'm so sorry Collin, but I promised I would go with them. You wouldn't have me break it, would you?"

"I would!" Lydia hissed.

"Oh, no you wouldn't," Liz growled angrily back. "I know you're close to tears at the very idea of it. I can't possibly spend the day _alone_ with Collin when I know how much you'll miss me!"

Hoping she had gotten her point across, Liz locked eyes with Lydia. The two girls warred silently for a moment, then Lydia looked away, sighing in disgust. With a total lack of enthusiasm, she stated, "Yes, how silly of me, Liz must come. Collin, oh please, oh please, won't you join us?"

The portly boy frowned in thought. Finally he said, "I suppose it is more proper this way anyway, at least at the beginning. Thank you, I'd love to come."

* * *

"And then Mama, in her undying wisdom and good taste, informed me that the shelf did _indeed_ look better on the right side of the television. So I moved it back over to that side again and marveled at her handiwork. Mama is quite the home decorator," Collin finished, a note of pride in his voice.

"Fascinating... really," Liz mumbled, eyes glazed over slightly. She had been trying very hard not to fall asleep on her feet ever since she had gotten off the bus. Collin had been filling up the entire trip to the Boardwalk with similar stories of his mother's brilliance. This latest installment had nearly taken half an hour to come to a close. Liz glanced over at her friends. "Wouldn't you agree, Kitty?"

The dirty-blonde blinked slowly at Liz, a drowsy look in her eye. "Hmmm, what? Oh... oh yes, fascinating." It was obvious she had stopped listening a long time ago, at least to any normal observer. Collin, however, being far from normal, was elated at her response.

Lydia was extremely agitated. She looked like she was ready to bolt in any direction, it did not matter which, as long as she put plenty of distance between her and her cousin. Liz imagined if Lydia were the only other victim in this torture, the girl would have been long gone by now, taking no pity on Liz. However, Kitty was there as well, and it was apparent the curly-haired brunette was not about to abandon her roommate to such punishment.

As the four walked past the Big Dipper, Lydia's eyes suddenly lighted up with a plan. _Or desperation,_ Liz noted. She did not think there was much of a difference.

"Collin! Boy, have a got a treat for you!" The girl cried, a big grin on her face.

He eyed her suspiciously. It seemed it did not have the best opinion of her from the night before. "Yes?" He asked slowly. "What is it?"

"No one, and I mean _no one_, should come all the way to Santa Cruz with out riding the Big Dipper! It would be, like, a total waste of the trip... or something."

"The Big...?"

"Dipper," she filled in the blank hurriedly. She pressed on, "It's that big roller coaster behind us. Come on, it'll be a blast!"

Liz quickly gathered that not once had Lydia mentioned that they would come with him. She probably schemed to abandon the boy as soon as he was on the ride. Liz frowned, but remained silent. While it was a bit mean, it was way past time to take a break from the nasally little monster.

And yet, doubt filled Collin's squinty face. "I don't know. Mama says these things are not as fun as some people make them out to be. Just a whole lot of zipping around and going upside down and you just end up a mess afterwards. She also says they're hardly safe. From the looks of this one, I'd have to agree." He was now scrutinizing the old wooden planks that held up the railing for the coaster.

"Well, dear Auntie Catherine has something to say about everything, doesn't she?" Lydia grumbled. Her gaze roved over to Liz and then stopped. A slow smile spread across her lips. _Uh oh, this can't be good,_ Liz thought, biting her lip. Lydia shrewdly said, "Too bad... Lizzy _loves_ riding the Big Dipper."

_Shit,_ was all that came to her mind as Collin turned to her as well. A slow, sickly smile spread across his face. "Well, I'm sure... _one_ ride can't hurt. This is, if the fair Lizzy will be accompanying me?"

"Not a snowball's chance in- I mean... er, it's sweet of you to offer, but... but..." she stuttered to find a refusal. She supposed she deserved this, seeing as she had forced the other two girls to bring Collin along. Still, she could not help shooting a glare at Lydia. The freshman just smirked back innocently. "... but I can't. Because of... the chili fries. Can't go on a roller coaster on a full stomach, that's just an accident waiting to happen!"

Lydia's smile faded. "You haven't eaten any fries."

"No... but I'm about to! Collin," she said quickly when she noticed he was about to follow her. "Why don't you... entertain them with more stories of your Mama. They love them so, I can tell. I'll be right back."

"Liz! Get back here!" Lydia shouted after her, but the brunette pretended she was out of ear shot. Both Kitty and Lydia stifled an angry sigh as Collin burst into a new tale.

There was a snack shop every ten feet at the Boardwalk, so Liz did not have to go far. In fact, she was still in eye sight of the little group. However, that did not mean she had to hurry back. She took her time looking over the menu, even though there were only three options and she already knew which one she wanted. After she felt an appropriate amount of time had been wasted, she slowly walked up to the counter and ordered a basket of chili fries and a small soda.

While she waited for her food to be prepared, she glanced over her shoulder casually. It seems the other girls had been rescued. They stood talking to two boys and firmly ignoring Collin, who now stood dejected to one side.

Liz saw Lydia go through the motion of laughing and placing a hand as if by accident lightly on one of the guy's arms. Liz decided that that one must be Denny. She believed she recognized him from the basketball team. The other guy did not look familiar at all from this distance. All Liz could tell was that he had sun-bleached, extremely blond hair, to the point of being almost blinding. That, and that he might be semi attractive. He had to be, the way Kitty was giggling so frequently around him and the way Lydia kept eying him whenever she thought Denny was not looking.

With a snort, she turned back to look over the into the fast food shop, still waiting on her meal. It seemed nothing would stop those two from flirting, even if they were in the middle of winning over some other guy at the same time. Oh well, she did not really care. _I just care about if I get my fries some time this century, _she decided, tapping her foot impatiently.

Finally, her fries were tossed up onto the counter, greasy and drowning in a huge glob of chili, along with her ice cold Coke. She took both gladly and moved to the side table that contained condiments and plastic utensils. As she reached out to take a straw, her hand slipped and she dropped it on the ground by mistake. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she leaned down to pick it up.

Another hand beat her too it. A larger, slightly tan hand. She looked up in slight surprise and her gaze met the same radiantly blonde locks she had seen moments before. Her eyes wandered down to take in the face and they widened. Those were the most beautiful pair of blue eyes she had ever seen. The way they sparkled in the sunlight was quite hypnotizing. They were paired with a very alluring smile that was already making Liz cheeks blush a little bit. He was simply dressed, with a set of loose green shorts and a white tank top that hinted ever so teasingly at the abs of a casual athlete.

Simply put, the semi attractive she had thought him before did not even _begin_ to describe him.

"I believe you dropped this," he said smoothly, handing the dazed girl her straw back. Flashing that attractive grin at her again, the boy asked, "Are you... Elizabeth?"

Without thinking, she blurted out, "Wow, cute _and_ psychic. You're two for two!" She then swiftly clapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. She had meant to say something clever, not sound like a drooling idiot.

To her amazement, he just laughed. It was a friendly, rolling laugh that held no mockery or discomfort in it. Liz slowly moved her hand away from her face, smiling shyly at him. As he calmed down, he responded with a wink, "Well, thanks for the compliment, but you're only half right. Your friends over there told me your name."

Liz looked in the direction he indicated. Lydia was now practically all over Denny, very earnestly going about her business as a play girl. Kitty was looking longingly back at Liz. With Denny otherwise occupied, all she had left of Collin, and she certainly was not going to go down that road.

"Well, that's hardly fair," Liz said softly as she turned her attention back to her soda. As she removed the straw from its protective wrapper and stabbed it into her cup, she could not help smiling at the question in his eyes. "You know my name, but I have no idea what yours is."

"How forgetful of me," he answered, returning her smile with another dazzling one of his own. "I'm George Wickham. Nice to meet you."

"Pleasures all mine, Mr. George Wickham," she winked back, enjoying the sound of his name.

He told her with a small shake of his head, "Just George is fine."

"Well then, Just George, you may call me Liz." With that, she picked up her soda and fries and made to rejoin the group. George followed closely behind.

Lydia graced the newcomers with a brief glance before returning her gaze to her latest project. She seemed to have calm down a bit, now with only her left arm simply looped through the boy's right elbow. "Welcome back, Liz. I'd like you to meet Denny," she said with a flash of white teeth. Liz nodded in greeting, being careful not to drop any food or spill her drink. "And I'm guessing you have met George here?"

"You would be guessing correctly," Liz said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "We bumped into each other when he gallantly saved my straw from certain dirt and being trampled into a flattened, plastic pulp."

George raised an amused eyebrow at her, but only responded, "Just doing my duty, ma'am."

"And you do it well," the brunette added, now laughing openly. Now this was better. She was no longer babbling like an idiot, she was cool and collected. Not that she _cared_ if she made a fool of herself or not in front of a boy. No way, not at all, she tried to convince herself. However, as the group began to walk again, she could not help noticing with happiness that George had decided to walk next to her. She was on the end of their group with him to her right and everyone else to the right of him. Collin had somehow managed to get shuffled and jostled all the way to the complete opposite end of Liz. She was not complaining.

Liz attempted to pick up her first fry and eat, but she soon discovered that was an amazingly hard thing to do with no free hands. However, George noticed her difficulty and said he could hold her drink while she ate. She accepted his offer to be a live cup holder with a smirk. As she stuck one chili smothered fry in her mouth, the group rounded a corner.

"Oof!" Liz cried through gritted teeth as she bumped into something very solid. The first thing she saw was a black shirt in front of her, thus her clue that she had ran into a person. She next spotted that her fries had spilled all over the shirt before her, many clinging to it through the help of the still steaming chili. She winced, _Oops... hope they don't make me pay for the cleaning bill._

Then she finally saw who she had bumped into, and all thoughts of remorse were replaced by a flash of anger. Will. "You!" Liz huffed, pointing her finger at him, just inches from his nose. The sophomore had been looking down at his ruined shirt before, but now he stared back at her with bewilderment. "Why don't you watch where you're going, Will?"

"Me?" the rigidly-tall boy asked in surprise. "I'm not the one who blindly turns corners with a basket full of fries and hot chili in my hand."

With a small sneer, Liz said, "Speaking of which, you're going to have to pay for those."

His voice was all coldness now. "Pay? Oh, so now people _pay_ to get food all over their clothing?"

"They do when their clothing sucks as much as yours," Liz snapped back.

"Oh, really? Well, I-"

"Will," came in a third voice that cut him off. Liz looked to the right of Will to find Charlie. She had not even realized the boy was there until he had spoken. He was giving Will a hard stare, one that Liz could not read. He was glaring back at the shaggy blond, but eventually gave a reluctant nod and turned back to Liz.

"Listen Elizabeth," he began less coldly than he was speaking before. "I..." he trailed off when she saw his eyes widen as they focused upon something over her shoulder. Curious, Liz turned to find George standing there. The tan boy grinned and gave a slow, half wave back at Will. Liz frowned. Did he seem a little paler underneath that tan? Returning her gaze to Will, she blinked. _He_ had most definitely gone red, his face screwed up in a scowl. Without another word, he turned his back and walked quickly away, disappearing into the crowd.

Baffled, Liz turned to Charlie. But he seemed as confused as she did, his eyebrows raised high upon his forehead as he watched his friend go. Still, it did not hurt to ask. Liz said carefully, "Is Will... having a bad day?"

"Probably," Charlie smiled at her. "He has so many of those."

Liz snorted. _I can see that being true._ The brunette then saw Charlie was casually scanning the faces of the group Lizzy was in. With a grin, she said, "Nope, Jane's not here."

Charlie blushed a bright red as he stuttered hastily, "I was... wasn't l-looking for her. I m-mean I would ha...have said hi if..." He stopped when Liz just continued to smile knowingly at him. "I think I'll go find Will now. See you later!" He then disappeared almost as quickly as his friend had.

With a laugh, Liz turned back to her group. Lydia had gotten bored with the whole scene long ago and was nuzzling up rather closely to Denny, whispering things Liz was most certain she did not want to hear anyway. Collin had been at Liz's elbow the entire time, listening to the whole conversation. He did not say anything, but he seemed to be thinking hard, his face scrunched up most unpleasantly. It seemed he was trying to remember something he had forgotten. Whatever it was, Kitty seemed happy for the breather from his stories, and was now eying some shop windows. George had regained the color in his face and the smile he directed at her was all warmth. Liz still could not help wondering at what had passed between him and Will though.

"I sorry you lost your fries," his deep voice said with all sympathy. She noticed that he seemed to cautiously avoid mentioning _how_ she had lost them. "But how about this: I know this great place just a few blocks away from the Boardwalk. They sell seafood, hamburgers, and all sorts of fries. My treat."

Liz beamed up at him, "Can't say no to that." Besides, it might give her just the time she needed to figure out what the deal was between him and Will.

* * *

"No way, you don't really go to UCSC too, do you?" Liz asked with a start. They were all sitting in a booth at the seaside diner George had suggested, with Liz, Lydia, and Denny on one side, and George, Kitty, and Collin on the other. Collin was sulking into his clam chowder, probably because he was at the farthest possible point away from Liz he could be at this table. The brunette was tactfully ignoring him and placing all her attention on the tanned hunk sitting across from her. The group was now just finishing their meals, with Liz having ordered more chili fries which she had happily gotten the chance to eat this time.

George quirked an eyebrow at her. "What, I don't look like I'm smart enough for college?" he asked teasingly. The two had been dominating the conversation in their group since they had arrived. It was not hard to do, what with Lydia still whispering sweet and most likely naughty nothings into Denny's ear. Kitty did not seem to mind either, since she had her food to eat and Collin had shut up a long time ago.

"Oh no, I didn't mean that!" Liz said, her cheeks becoming the faintest pink. "It's just, I've... never seen you around, that's all."

"Ah, well, it is a big campus," he pointed out with a chuckle.

She giggled. She could not believe _anyone_ could make her giggle. "That must be it," she said softly. What she had meant was that she thought she would have noticed someone walking around that was hot enough to be on the cover of a teen heart throb magazine. But she was not going to mention that.

He smiled and leaned forward on his elbows. "That, and I started classes late. Just got here last week."

"Really? What happened?" She asked, stirring her cherry soda just because she needed something to do with her fingers.

"Oh, some old and ugly thing that no one really wants me to go into right now," he said with a shrug. Liz cocked her head to one side with interest. She really was curious as to what had happened. However, he changed the subject, "Anyway, I've been hiding at the basketball court ever since I got here. So unless you practically live at the gym like I do, you won't have seen me around."

Liz stirred her drink a little more, wondering about what the boy had not said. Maybe it had to do with Will? She was probably stretching things a bit, but it did not hurt to make guesses. He did not want to talk about it anyway, so she would not push it. She just had to hope he would bring it up later. Pushing her thoughts aside, she asked, "Oh, you play basketball? You any good?"

"Tch, is he any good?" came a loud snort from Denny that made Liz jump a little. She turned to face George's friend, who was now slouching into the cushiony seat of the booth with his arm wrapped around Lydia. Even though she had not talked much to him since meeting him, Liz already knew that she did not like him very much. He seemed like a sleazy, pot-headed dirt bag. Just Lydia's type. He continued, "The lucky bastard got in to UCSC on a Basketball Scholarship, he's that good. Jerk.

"Right back at ya," George responded with a charming smile. Denny shot a cynical one back at him. Turning back to Liz, he said, "Eh, I just dribble a bit, make a few baskets here and there, nothing special."

The girl ignored another snort from Denny. "So you're on the team then, right? Have you played in any games yet?"

"Nah. My first one is next Friday at 7 PM," he said offhandedly. Then a smile sparked across his face. "You should come and watch."

The brunette had been to one sports meet in her entire life and she had hated it. Thus, she surprised herself when she answered without hesitation, "Sure, I'll go."

"Great!" He beamed at her, and she could not help smiling back. A loud, disgusting slurp ruined the moment, and Liz rolled her eyes at the source, Collin. Either he was trying to distract her from his potential rival or slurping chowder is just what he did. One way or another, Liz did not find herself anymore attracted to him. Turning away, she found George was still smiling, but it had softened now. Looking at his watch, he said, "Dang, I got to run."

"Oh really? So soon?" Liz asked sadly.

Standing up from the table, he apologized, "Yeah, sorry. I got an... appointment."

She thoughtfully offered, "Oh, you mean like with your doctor?"

"Yeah, yeah, with a doctor," he responded so quickly that Liz raised her eyebrow. Usually, people were not so eager to go see their physicians. But maybe George was just weird that way. The blond began to pat his pockets, then said, "Oh no, I didn't."

Standing up as well, Liz questioned, "What's wrong?"

"I forgot my wallet. Damn!"

Smiling, she said, "Oh, it's no problem. I'll cover us both this time."

"Aw, Liz, I couldn't ask you to do that, not after I said I'd pay," he shook his head with a sincere frown.

"Really, I'll take care of it. You'll just owe me one," she answered with a laugh.

"I'll owe you two, I promise. Thanks a bunch," he clapped her on the shoulder, flashing her another one of his cute smiles. "Later, guys," he waved at everyone at the table, then turned and left.

As Liz retook her seat, she could not help noticing out of the corner of her eye that Denny seemed to be laughing about something to himself. She frowned at the boy, wondering what had amused him so. But then she just shrugged, and turned to Kitty, who was in drastic need of attention after being quiet so long. Maybe Collin was too, but Kitty came first. Practically _anybody_ came first before Collin. True, it was a little rude, but she needed the rather creepy nerd to get the point that she was not interested.

It was not long before their group was leaving the diner as well. As they walked along, Liz realized that she had not gotten the chance to ask George any of the things she wanted to, especially pertaining to that odd reaction between Will and him. She then came to a decision right then and there, while she listened to Kitty talk about how particularly yummy her calamari had been and while stopping Collin's several attempts to wriggle his way between the two girls so he could walk beside Liz. The hazel-eyed girl had decided that she would get all the details out of George next week at the basketball game, no matter what. She was now a girl on a mission and nothing would stop her.

* * *

_**A/N**_: And thus Wickham gets introduced, oh noes! Boo, hiss! But it had to be done, so... don't worry, there's really only one other chapter with him in it, and that's next chapter... and it's short! Then we won't be seeing him for a while. Then after that... the Halloween Party! Yay! See ya'll next weekend :)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As the final buzzer went off, signaling the end of the basketball game, Liz let out a sigh of relief. _Finally! It felt like it would never end!_ The UCSC banana slugs had emerged victorious, but Liz hardly gave that more than a passing thought. She had already recalled once before that she hated sport meets and this had only served to confirm that dislike. What with several people packed into the indoor bleachers of the gym, always jumping around in excitement or anger, screaming their heads off, and spilling their food and drinks all over their neighbors, she felt this was one experience she could live without for the rest of her life. Especially since all they were here for was to watch a ball be bounced one way or to be thrown another way, sent to this person or tossed into that basket. It did not seem like enough was going on to get that excited over.

Well, okay. She did have to admit that it was a little more interesting when you actually knew someone on the court. George had done a great job in his first game on the team. He had blocked several of the opposite team's shots and made more baskets then anyone else playing that night. Plus, he looked pretty good lightly sweating with his bright blond hair mussed up. And something about his team uniform, bold yellow though it may have been, made her smile dreamily.

With having George as a distraction, Liz may have been able to ignore all the annoyances of being in the stands if it were not for the fact that a certain, nasally sounding little nerd had decided to tag along to the game. Yes, Collin had taken a sudden interest in basketball that night and had followed her. The brunette should have known that being free of him for the entire past week would only come around to bite her in the ass.

Like Liz, Collin did not seem to find much joy in the game itself and, again like Liz, he concentrated on his preferred distraction. Unlike Liz, however, this distraction was most certainly not George. Due to the cramped nature of the bench, the boy could not help but be squished against Liz's side. Yet, she would not have been surprised if she discovered he were pressing against her a little more than was necessary. And several times, he would attempt to cover her hand with his. He was hardly sneaky about it, so at those points Liz would promptly turn away to talk loudly to Lydia, who had come as well to root for Denny. Other times, Collin would try to awkwardly wrap an arm around Liz's shoulders. Before he got within an inch with her, she would immediately stand up to cheer wildly, even if it was out of sync with the rest of the crowd. This would often earn her weird looks from the people around her, but she would just smile back. Anything to keep Collin's greasy hands off of her.

So, it was no wonder when the game finally did come to an end that Liz had to hold back a jump for joy. Not only was she free from the stand of loud and smelly people, but she was almost free of Collin as well. Of course, there was still the walk back to the apartment with him, but if she walked quickly enough, maybe there would be no time for talking.

As they cleared out with the rest of the mob of students into a hallway, Liz noticed that Lydia had already disappeared off somewhere with Denny. _Guess I get to enjoy my moonlit stroll through the forest with Collin alone tonight. Yay._ She thought sarcastically. The teenager could not help letting out a sigh of disappointment. She had been looking forward to getting some time alone with George tonight, but Collin was making that impossible. She had hoped to maybe see the athlete before the game or maybe even during halftime, but with her unwanted date clinging to her side like a bur, that had not happened. And now they were moments away from leaving. Grimacing, she leaned back against a wall as more people milled by her and closed her eyes.

"Hey! Hey, Lizzy, are you alright?" came that annoying voice.

"I'm fine, Collin," Liz responded without opening her eyes. Maybe if she could not see him, he was not really there.

No such luck. "Are you sure? You look quite fatigued!" He sounded more like he was forcing the condition on her and less like being actually concerned. "Perhaps a bit parched, as well."

"I'm fine," she repeated, opening her eyes again to look down at the short boy. "And I'm not thirsty either, let's just get going."

"Nonsense, if I know anything, then its when a young lady is in drastic need of something to drink," he said with a firm nod that caused his thick rimmed glasses to fall forward on his nose. Pushing them back up clumsily, he continued, "I'll buy you a soda. What would you like?"

Shaking her head, Liz groaned, "Collin, really, I don't want anything."

"Dr. Pepper it is then. I'll just be a moment, Lizzy my sweet," and with that, Collin turned and pushed passed a few people towards a vending machine.

Liz grimaced. She _hated_ Dr. Pepper. Oh well, served her right for being difficult and not just playing along with the boy. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes once more. She felt kind of bad about the way she treated him sometimes. He was only trying to be nice after all, in his own 'special' way. He could not help it if it usually came off as irritating, creepy, or just plain odd. Still, the brunette wished he would direct his interests elsewhere. It would probably be best, considering Liz was mentally counting the days until he left back for his dear Mama's home.

"Aw, how sweet, Liz, you waited for me."

She opened her eyes to the sound of the much more welcome voice to her ears. George had just walked out of the locker room, out of uniform and in a loose t-shirt, jacket and comfy looking pair of jeans. He had headphones resting around his neck on his shoulders, playing music loud enough for her to hear from where she stood, but she could not quite make out the words. Liz smirked when she noticed that his hair was still rather scruffy. Laughing, she responded, "In your dreams."

"Oh, you don't want to know what happens in my dreams," he answered slyly with a wink.

She gave his shoulder a soft punch in reproach, but was still grinning. "Did you enjoy your first game?"

"Heck yeah, who wouldn't, we won! I can't wait until the next one," he said with a huge smile across his face. "Hey, where you heading? You shouldn't go alone in the dark, I can walk you back."

With the reminder of the little stroll she was going to have to take, her face fell slightly. "Oh, that's alright... Collin's taking me back," she responded with a halfhearted gesture in the direction of the soda machine.

"Don't sound too excited," he said, his eyes trailing in the direction she indicated. Collin was smacking the machine a couple of times and making very audible grumbles. Apparently, the machine had eaten his dollar. "Oh yeah, I remember him, he was at the Boardwalk with you, right?" At her nod, complete with a roll of the eyes, he chuckled. "He a close friend of yours?"

"Not really. More of a close thorn in my side."

"I see," the blond looked from Collin's back side to Liz again. "Ditch him."

Raising an eyebrow and giving a defeated snort, Liz said, "I couldn't do that, it'd be mean."

"No, it wouldn't," George assured her and took a step closer. "He's a big boy, he can handle a walk in the dark all by himself. Besides, you know you want to hang out with me more, I'm awesome."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Right, keep telling yourself that," she bantered. But she still could not help being tempted by his offer. Biting her lip, she looked over at the portly boy again. "Well... I guess it'd be okay... what could it hurt?"

"That's the spirit! Now quickly, before he gets back," the basketball player grabbed her by the wrist and started hurriedly guiding her out one of the side doors. She stifled a snigger for fear of being heard and soon they were out into the night. Collin was still trying to coax and beat the stolen dollar out of the vending machine. It was several minutes before he finally relented and put another dollar in, finally getting the soda, only to discover that Liz was gone.

* * *

"So I heard you cheering for me during the game."

Twisting a lock of hair between her fingers, Liz asked, "Really? Yeah, I don't know what came over me, I usually don't get so excited during these types of things."

The tan boy continued without pause, "Yeah, sometimes I even heard you when the other team stole the ball from us or scored a point."

"Oh! Um... you must have been imagining things," she laughed, hoping her blush was not visible in the dim glow of the lampposts that lighted the dirt path they walked now. They were about half way across campus now, having opted for the forest paths over the main roads. Neither way was faster really, it was just a matter of preference, whether you liked to see more trees and wildlife over cars and sidewalks. True, the forest was a little more dangerous at night, but the pair had already decided that if they ran into a mountain lion, that George would valiantly get eaten by it while Liz courageously ran away. They had talked about other things as well. In their short time together, it had been discovered that they shared a love of bad jokes, a hate of scallops, a favorite movie of _Pirates of the Caribbean_, and a worship of Doritos.

Now, after the brunette's last comment, they walked in a companionable silence. For the first time she noticed that the night had a chill to it and she wished she had brought a coat of some sort with her. She rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm up and looked longingly over at George's jacket. But the blond was not paying any attention as he idly walked, now humming along with the music that was still coming from his earphones. She narrowed her eyes at him, then sighed and looked away. Damn the oblivious boy. She was not about to ask him for his jacket without it being offered; then he would be cold. No, she would just grin and bear it, she only had herself to blame anyway.

In an attempt to get her mind off the nippy air, she began to listen to the song coming from the headset around George's neck. The tune sounded familiar, so she concentrated on catching a few words. With a flash of recognition, she exclaimed, "Heeeey! That's 'Staring at the Sun' by Offspring, isn't it?"

"Hmm?" he incoherently questioned, turning to her. Liz then tapped the ear pads lightly to indicate what she was talking about. "Oh! Oh yeah, that's the song. You a fan?"

"Of course, I think they're great," the brunette answered with a nod. "I really love this one, it's just so full of energy."

His smile broadened a bit. "I know what you mean. I love any song that makes you want to dance."

"You like to dance?" Liz asked conversationally.

With a shrug, he said, "Well yeah, but what I mostly like is watching the more attractive female half of the gender dancing." He looked at her mischievously out of the corner of his eyes. "You like to dance, Liz?" At her nod, he said quickly, "Then show me some of your moves!"

Raising an eyebrow, Liz asked, "Here? Right now? I don't think so."

"Oh, come on, don't be shy. Here, I'll help you get started. First, you put your hands up in the air like this," George took a hold of both of Liz's arms and raised them above her head. The girl chuckled and humored him, leaving her arms over her head when he let go. "Perfect. Then you start swinging them while you wiggle your hips in a sexy way." He then positioned his hands gently on the sides of her waist, trying to get her to sway side to side.

When his fingers worked their way underneath the hem of her shirt, Liz leapt forward out of his reach, laughing nervously. _Getting a little to touchy there for my tastes, buddy,_ she thought, feeling her cheeks burning and again being thankful for the poor lighting. Out loud, she told him, "Sorry George, you'll just have to wait until I'm in more of a dancing mood, I guess." She then waved a warning finger at him while grinning, she added, "And try that again tonight and I'll hurt you."

"Threaten me with a good time," he laughed. He caught up to her and they began walking by her side once more. Liz happily noted that he now kept his hands securely in his pockets. _Good boy._ "So, Liz, you dance often?"

With a nod, she responded, "Yeah, all the time. At parties, clubs, in my room... and recently in a public park, strangely enough." _It seems like everyone wants to make me dance at the most random times lately,_ she noted dryly.

He blinked, then smirked at her. "You'll dance in a public park but not alone with me? I'm hurt, we're like best buds, like we almost go as far back as preschool."

"We just met last week, goofball," the freshman chuckled, shaking her head.

"Sure, sure, whatever. So why were you dancing at the park?"

"No real reason... just this witch of a girl named Carol made me, you probably don't know her." She was going to stop there, then an idea came to mind. Well, now seemed like a good a time as any to try to bring up this subject. "Though we _were_ hanging out with someone I think you do know... Will Darcy?"

"Oh," was the only sound he made at first. Liz frowned in disappointment, but then perked up when he asked, "Have you and Will been friends long?"

Liz shrugged, "Not at all, to both the 'long' part and to the 'friends' part. I met him at a party about a month ago where he was a jerk to me, and we've just sort of... bumped into each other a lot since then." From her tone, she did not sound to enthusiastic by the odd twists of fate.

"So you... ?" he trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

"Hate him? Whether that's the word you looking for or not, I do, with a fiery passion and the wrath of a thousand angry suns."

The tan boy laughed, then said out of the blue, "You know, he and I used to be best friends."

She was shocked at the statement. "Wha- really? Oh! Well... I hope I didn't offend you or anything."

"No, not at all," he replied, shaking his head sadly. "I said we _used_ to be friends. We sort of had a falling out."

Now this was exactly the opening Liz had been looking for. "What happened? Wait, never mind, I shouldn't have asked, it's none of my business."

"Well, I don't normally like talking about this, but I feel... comfortable around you," he said, still smiling, but it seemed more vulnerable than usual. It made Liz feel all goose-bumpy inside, to say the least. "Will and I go way back, before I can remember. We were like brothers, and did everything together. It was no surprise, what with how close our families were together. Or so I was told. My parents died when I was so young, I could barely remember their faces much less what they were like."

"I'm sorry," the brunette stated softly, looking down as she walked.

He turned down the volume of his headphones as he resignedly sighed, "I'm over it. It's hard to miss people you hardly ever got a chance to know. Anyway, Will's father felt sorry for me and did not want Will and I to be split up, so he adopted me. Yeah, his dad was a great man, one of the nicest people there ever was. And Will and I were now officially brothers in all but blood, so I thought that things could only look up and get better. But, I was wrong.

"See, Mr. Darcy truly felt sorry for my loss and always showed me special treatment, in small ways. He did not mean any harm by them, but Will took it as such. He practically changed over night. He envied the care his father showed me, began to think I was out to make him look bad by comparison. And then there was his sister - you know he has a younger sister, right?" He paused briefly to allow Liz a nod. "His sister, Giana, had grown up with both of us looking out for her. She loved us both equally, but Will did not see it that way. Somehow, he got it into his head that our love for each other went beyond that of siblings... if you know what I mean."

Liz wrinkled her nose at the idea before nodding again. "Where'd he get an idea like that?"

He raised his hands in a careless shrug. "I have no idea. Ask Will, though I'd hardly expect a straight answer from him." He let out a slightly bitter laugh, then picked up the story again. "So, eventually a sad day came when Will's dad died, during my senior year of high school. I won't bore you by going into details, but where it all came crashing down was Mr. Darcy's last will and testament. In it, he left me a fair amount of college funds with enough left over to help me get started in life. But Will ignored his father's wishes and told me I would never see a penny of it. He let his jealousy blind him and threw me out to the streets before his father was even cold in his grave."

The girl gasped, finding it hard to believe her own ears. "Really?" was all she could ask in her surprise. Yes, she loathed Will, thought him arrogant, conceited, and an ass. But somehow, she had never thought that he could be so petty as well.

George declined his head in affirmation. "Really. Ever since then, I've just been... traveling, trying to get things straight in my head and get my life together. It was only by chance that I got the basketball scholarship to come here, and then pure luck that they accepted me so late. I was almost reluctant to join, since I knew Will was going here. That's why I'm a few weeks behind, I almost took too long to decide that I wasn't going to let a little thing like that bastard stop me from going to college."

Liz was silent at first, as she thought about what George said. It all seemed to make so much sense: why George was not enrolled the first few weeks, the reaction between the two of them at the Boardwalk... While the whole thing with the father's will still seemed to throw her for a loop, she decided that she would not put it past the golden-haired jerk known as Will Darcy. And she could not wait to tell Jane all she had heard. Before now, Liz had seemed pretty narrow minded herself, still disliking Will so long after the first party. Sure, she had reason, but even she had to admit that it slowly became more trivial as time passed. But now, this gave her more than enough reason to hold her grudge. She halted in thought, wondering why she seemed so determined to hate the boy anyway. Eventually, she decided she had just _known_ there had always been something not right about Will, she just had not known what. Here it was.

Finally, she spoke up, "I know it's a touchy subject, but you should really tell more people. Expose Will for the jackass he is, I'm sure it can only help."

A grimace flashed across his face. "No, I couldn't do that. It's all in the past now, I should just leave it buried there. I've moved on, started a new life here at college and I'm happy with it. Just because Will ruined my old one doesn't mean I should go out of my way to do the same to him."

Liz turned to study her companion. George had had it rough the past few years of his life, losing everything he knew in the end. And here he was, able to forgive and forget, letting Will off the hook. Liz was impressed; it was more than she was doing, and Will had wronged George more than he had herself. "You're an amazing guy."

"You're just now figuring that out?" George chuckled, his more usual self beginning to shine through now.

Liz was surprised to find they had arrived at the foot of the steps leading up to her apartment. The time that night had certainly sped by. The pair climbed up in silence, and then when at her door, Liz asked, "So... thanks for walking me home. See you sometime next week?"

George looked down and scratched the back of his platinum blond head. "I don't know... I don't think I'll have too much time. I'll be busy with...er..."

"Midterms?" Liz supplied, her voice hinting at discouragement. She had them too, but she would have made time for him.

"Yeah, that's it: midterms," he hurriedly agreed. "But... I may make time for a party or two, you going to any?"

A small grin creased her lips as she responded, "Well, there is one I'm kinda-sorta going to."

"Kinda-sorta, huh?"

Leaning back against the door, she nodded. "Yeah, well, you see, it's this Halloween party a couple of weeks from now that I wasn't planning on going to. But then I spent all this time on my costume for trick-or-treating, only to find out all my friends are going to the party _and_ all the people that would normally be handing out candy are going as well. It seems that everybody who's anybody - and several nobodies - is going to be at that party. So I figure, I have nothing better to do, I might as well go."

The boy nodded at her explanation, then stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So a Halloween party, eh? Could be fun, and I'd love to meet you there." Liz smiled happily at him until he asked, "Where's going to be at?"

"Oh... I forgot," she groaned, smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand. "It's at Will's place. I couldn't ask you to go, not knowing what you've been through."

At the mention of Will's name, George's face grew considerably less happy, confirming Liz's thoughts. But then he shook himself, and was smirking. "Well, hold on now. I have one important question to ask: at this party, will you dance?"

The brunette could not help snorting at how serious he sounded when he asked the question. "Uh-huh, you betcha."

"Then nothing can keep me away, not Will or a raging stampede of rhinos. Take your pick - though I think I prefer the rhinos," he playfully winked at her.

Laughing again and placing her key in the door, she answered, "I'll just be happy to see you there. So then... until Halloween?"

"Yup, until then," he agreed cheerfully. Liz gave him a big smile, then waved goodbye to him with one hand as she opened the door with the other. George blew her a kiss before beginning to hop down the stairs, skipping several at a time.

As the freshman stepped inside, her good mood quickly vanished as she was greeted by a grumpy, "There you are!" Missy was standing before her, hands on her fists and a phone in one of her hands. The redhead was glaring at her and tapping her foot impatiently, though Liz had no idea why.

The brunette smiled in her confusion. "Why... yes, here I am! You've found me! Um... were we playing hide and seek? Because no one informed me of this."

"Don't get cute with me, Lizzy," the older student frowned. "Where have you been? Collin had been calling here repeatedly for the past half hour, asking if you've shown up yet. Apparently, you abandoned him at the gym? Of course, he thinks you got abducted or attacked by wild animals or some other nasty thing. Really, Lizzy, leaving Collin alone, making him worry like that, not to mention making _me_ deal with it."

"Sorry, geeze! How was I supposed to know he would freak out like that? Besides, I think you more than deserve it for siccing the little cockroach on me."

Slamming her foot on the ground in a fit of temper, Missy snapped, "Oh, Lizzy! I-" The phone's ring cut off the angry girl's voice. She shoved it into Liz's face, growling, "There he is again. Talk to him, flirt with him, anything to get him to stop calling here."

Rolling her eyes, the hazel-eyed teenager took the phone and answered it. However, as she spent the next several minutes convincing Collin that she had not been eaten by a cougar, she could not help feeling giddy. What with the past few days not having been the most enjoyable, things were beginning to look up. She had made a great new guy friend - maybe something more, who knew? - and had been right about Will. Now she had a party to look forward to, and she knew that Halloween would just not come fast enough. One thing was for certain, nothing could bring her down at this point.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Yes, boo, I know we all hate Wickham. But good news! Except for a paragraph here or there in future chapters, that's pretty much the last of him for a while. Tried to make this chapter as short as possible while still getting the main part of the story in there. Now that that's out of the way, we can move along to... the Halloween party, yaaay!

Thanks to all my reviewers, always great to hear from you :D To Once Upon A Teardrop, I'm glad you're enjoying the story despite its flaws. Yeah, I've notice that I've done that too, but I always thought it was just me, as the writer, being over critical of my work. Now that I know I'm not the only one, I'll do my best to fix it in the future. The next couple of chapters are prewritten, so you won't see much of a change in them, but we'll see what happens after that... ;) Until then, hope you and everyone else keeps reading and enjoying!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"This sucks."

Liz blinked as she closed the front door behind her, surprised for that was the most vulgar word she had ever heard escape from Mary's lips. The normally quiet, sweet tempered girl was slouching into a couch in the living room with a crumpled paper in her hand. Liz uncertainly stepped further into the apartment, unsure as to whether Mary was more in need of comfort or time alone. One way or another, she _was_ curious what was the caused of such a mood, one that was in fact the complete opposite of her own.

The past few weeks had been long and tiresome. The hours she put into studying for midterms - and the actual midterms themselves - had been boring and time consuming. It was a relief that was all over, at least until finals came around. Then there was Collin, whose company she had not only had to endure at home, but in classes as well. He claimed he wanted a sneak peek at his future college life, "enjoying all the benefits that higher education could provide." However, he seemed more interested in finding ways to 'accidentally' touch her than in the lecture. The one time he got distracted from his apparent mission was in the Applied Discrete Math class. Half way through, he noticed Will sitting of few rows away from them. He started going on about how he was certain he had seen the boy somewhere before. When Liz told him that he had met him at the Boardwalk with her, he had shushed her – yes, actually _shushed_ her - saying that he remembered that and at the time had thought he recognized the boy as well. So then he had gone on to spend the next ten minutes trying to figure out where he knew him from, working his thoughts through out loud. When many heads had turned their way, Liz had tried very hard to appear like she did not know the mumbling, slightly crazy-looking boy sitting next to her.

But none of that mattered now, it was finally here. After two stressful, somewhat embarrassing weeks, she was now only a few hours away from the Halloween party. Sure, Collin had invited himself to go along with her to the party, but that did not really seem to matter. Soon she would get to see Charlotte in a professor-free environment. Soon she would get to check on Matthew, since she had not seen his abused self since Jane had been sick. She felt bad she had not made any progress on freeing him from Crystal's evil clutches, but she was sure Matthew would understand. And soon, she would see George. She could not wait to talk to him, see what his costume was, and get in a few dances. And she especially could not wait to see Will's face when he discovered George was there. What would he do then? Probably go and throw a sulky tantrum in his room for the rest of the night. Liz really liked that idea.

However, now was not the time to entertain thoughts of the party, there would be plenty of time for that when she was actually there. Instead, she sat down next to Mary on the sofa. The Asian girl's eyes were closed and she was holding her free hand to her forehead as if she had a headache. Her curiosity and concern finally getting the better of her, Liz asked, "What's wrong, Mary?"

Wordlessly and without open her eyes, she handed the rumpled sheet of paper to Liz. The brunette took it and, after smoothing it out so she could actually read it, saw that it was an exam for what looked like... Quantum Physics? Well, Mary had certainly chosen an interesting course for her general education points. Marked across the top in crimson red marker was a big '56.'

Liz bit her lower lip, the soothed, "Oh Mary, this is nothing to be upset over. This is just one bad test score, you'll make it up in-"

"It's not just one score," Mary cut in, her tiny voice grumbling unhappily. "I've been doing badly on all my homework as well, and this midterm was a big chunk of grade. I'm failing the stupid class."

Again, Liz was slightly shocked at Mary's choice of words. She had not thought the words 'sucks' and 'stupid' in her house mate's vocabulary. She had certainly never heard them used by the shorter girl, nor had it seemed that she ever would. Recovering, she said, "Well then, so what? It's only GE credit, it's not like it was for your major. You can easily make it up later."

"But then it's like I wasted part of this quarter! And I'll have that failing mark forever, and my parents will know and it's just going to be one big mess."

Liz frowned. "If it matters that much, then just work really hard for the rest of the quarter, bring your grade up to a C, at least it's passing, and that's better than-"

"Don't you think I've been trying?" Mary snapped, glaring at Liz. The brunette reeled back in her seat. She had never seen her friend so upset, and over such a silly little thing like a grade. Lips set in a grim line, she really did not know what to say anymore. Luckily, she was spared as Kitty came out from her room and started rummaging through the kitchen.

"Aw, is Mary still moping?" Kitty asked, spotting them out of the corner of her eye. After grabbing a banana, the dirty blond made her way into the living room with them and began to peel as she spoke. "You know what'll cheer you up, Mary? Coming to the Halloween party tonight."

Liz shook her head quickly, "Oh no, that'd be no good. Mary hates parties."

"I'll go."

Eyes widening, Liz turned to look at Mary, not sure she had heard correctly. She asked, "You'll what?" at the same time Kitty happily exclaimed, "You will?", their voices overlapping. Still, the ebony-haired girl seemed to understand as she simply nodded.

"But you said you hated parties, remember?" Liz asked in confusion.

"I know," Mary shrugged and looked away. "I guess I'm just in a weird mood tonight."

Elizabeth pursed her lips, but said no more. She had a bad feeling about this, but if Mary said she wanted to go, it was not like Liz had the power to stop her. As Kitty blithely skipped back to her room to continue getting ready while still eating her banana, Liz slowly got up to do the same. She paused only after a few steps however, and turned to Mary once more. "You sure about this?"

The music major just shrugged again. "Guess so."

"You don't even have a costume."

"Don't need one, I'm ready to go as is," Mary replied frankly. Looking at her outfit, the girl was in her usual oversized shirt and baggy pants with her hair in a messy pony-tail, several wisps having worked their way free of the hair tie. Liz supposed there would be other party-goers without costumes, but still... dressing up seemed like half the fun. But the brunette let it go; once more it was Mary's decision. Sighing, Liz went back to her room.

And it was thus that, two hours later, Liz found herself walking up the stairs of the Netherfield Apartment complex with most of her roommates, plus one Luc and Collin. And their group was certainly a colorful sight to see. Liz was every inch a pirate, with her knee high buckled boots, striped stockings, short ruffled skirt, black corset top, heavy jacket that cut off early just below her ribs, eye-patch, sheathed blade - plastic, of course - and swashbuckler hat complete with feather. Jane walked lightly next to her in light blue slippers, elegantly dressed as a fairy princess and hair done up in gleaming, bouncing curls. No one had been surprised Jane's choice of costume, it suited her so well. Missy, with her hair tied up in a high pony-tail, sported a tight, long sleeved shirt and a round, flaring skirt with a poodle on it, creating the image of a 1950's sock-hopper. It seemed that Missy had not dressed up for Halloween in a few years, and this had been the last costume she had worn. It was apparent that it was rather old, what with the struggle Missy had gone through to get into the skirt. Mary had been true to her word, and had come as she was. Her clothing was exactly the same, and so was her depressed mood.

As for the boys, they were very opposite in their choices. Collin, in all appearances, did not look like he had come in costume. When Liz had pointed that out, he had argued that he was still a highschool student, and he was coming to the Halloween party dressed as a _college_ student. Yeah, he thought himself really clever on that. It was not even apparent what differences there were from his usually outfit. But Liz had not drawn out the conversation further than necessary. And then there was Luc, who had come in a giant, yellow banana costume. His legs, comfortably clothed in jeans, stuck out the bottom and there were holes for his face and arms to stick out of. It had been interesting getting him in the car to drive them all there. The top tip would not squeeze under the roof, so he had ended up being forced to drive the entire way with his head sticking out of a rolled-down window.

And where were Lydia and Kitty, one might wonder? Already at the party. They had each gotten a ride from their respective boyfriends/playthings there, seeing as everyone would not fit into Luc's little car. It had been a struggle just fitting six people in there, especially with one dressed in a huge banana suit.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Jane's quiet question broke Liz out of her thoughts as they neared the front door, open wide with music blaring out and squeals of laughter emerging. The brunette turned her hazel gaze to her twin, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"It's a wonderful idea. George has as much a right as anybody to go to the party and enjoy himself. If it bugs Will, well then, he should have thought about that before rudely tossing his childhood friend out on the street without a dime," Liz muttered back. She had told her sister of her conversation with George the very same night she had had it. Jane had been fretting about the party ever since.

Jane shook her head, a few of her perfect curls swaying with the motion. "Oh, Lizzy. Will could not have been that cruel, I could never believe such a thing."

Liz sighed. Jane had been arguing on Will's behalf ever since as well, much to the brunette's displeasure. "Well then, what? You saying George is lying through his teeth?"

"No, of course not!" The blond said quickly, snapping her head around to frown at Liz. "It's just that... that..."

"Just that what? Well, Jane, which is it? Is Will an arrogant, conceited jackass or is George a big fat, dirty liar? You can't have it both ways."

Jane contorted her face in indecision, but still managed to look a dignified princess. "Neither. I'm sure this is all just one big misunderstanding, that's all."

"Well then, Sis, you have nothing to worry about then, do you? If it was just a mix-up where no one was at fault, then all the more reason they should meet. Then they can realize their mistake, kiss and make-up and live happily ever after," Liz snorted, clasping her hands together in mock dreaminess.

The blond sister rolled her eyes. "Liz, you tease me about my naivety, but even I'm not that hopeful. The night will probably end in a fist fight more than anything else."

Liz grinned wickedly. "We can certainly hope so." Jane swatted her on the shoulder in reproach, but said no more as their group finally entered the apartment, the party hitting them at full force.

The lights were dimly lit, with jack-o-lanterns - both real and plastic - resting on tables and the floor providing most of the light. Fake cobwebs were hung in the ceiling and covering walls, accompanied by googly-eyed rubber spiders. Orange and black ribbons of paper were strewn about everywhere, at peoples' feet, on chairs, clinging to other decorations, and even in some of the guest's hair. Most of the furniture had either been pressed against the wall or hidden in a closed off room somewhere to provide more space for everyone and for the small stage set-up for the band. Yes, a live, local and fully costumed band was set up in one of the corners, playing music Liz did not recognize. Most of it was probably their own original songs, but she was sure some of the classics like 'Monster Mash' and 'Thriller' would be played later. All in all, it looked like someone had gone to a lot of trouble to set this whole thing up. Considering who lived here, Liz guessed it was all Charlie's doing.

There was already a large number of people here, either chatting and taking from the huge mound of candy on the tables or dancing to the current loud song the animated band was belting out. The singer, dressed in a very scraggly, but very elaborate, looking scarecrow outfit, was leaping about the stage in time with the drum beat. Liz scanned what faces she could see with her one eye that was not covered up by the eye-patch. She managed to spot four people she recognized, but unfortunately not one of them was George.

The first two were Kitty and Lydia. They were clinging to a pair of boys while talking to a bunch more that had been drawn to them. It was no surprise. There are a lot of people who say Halloween is just an excuse for women to dress up as slutty as they want and get away with it. Well, Lydia and Kitty were a prime example of just that. Liz was not even sure what exactly they were supposed to be. Kitty appeared to have some sort of devil tail sticking out of the back of her fishnet tights, if that were any indication of what she was. And Lydia had a pair of bat wings emerging out of the back of her bra-like top, but gave no other hints as to what she might be, _if_ she was dressed up like anything in particular.

The next person she saw made her lip curl slightly: Will. Well, she assumed it was Will. No one else stood so stiffly tall or had those exact same golden strands of hair. That self same hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail beneath a black top hat. He wore what looked like a tux, but minus the jacket and add a dark, ruby red vest and a richly black cloak upon his shoulders. A white mask took up half his face, covering his forehead, one eye, his nose, and a cheek. The rest of the mask tapered off, slanting diagonally down his face, leaving the other half bare to the world. If Liz had to guess, she would say he had come as the Phantom of the Opera. She had to admit that he looked good, but she would never say that out loud. He was now looking in her direction, but not directly at her. Still, Liz could not help feeling uncomfortable. It was like walking past one of those paintings where the eyes seemed to follow you.

Finally, Liz saw Charlie approaching their group with his characteristic big smile. Clad in many shades of green, he wore a tunic, belt, tight pants, and boots. He also had a quiver strapped to his back, a rather shoddy looking bow in hand, and an archer cap atop his shaggy hair with a small red feather protruding from it. If he was anything, he had to be Robin Hood. Liz grinned to herself at the look of pure delight on her sister's face as Charlie leapt before her and, removing his hat, gave her a great bow.

"Evening, my fair ladies and good sirs," he greeted loudly to be heard over the music when he had straightened up again, lightly patting his hat back into place.

"To you as well, Sir Robin Hood," Jane laughed behind her hand. "Come to steal from the rich and give to the poor?"

Taking the blonde's hand in his own, he answered, "Something like that. I have come to _steal_ you away." Jane blushed slightly as the boy gently pulled her away into the ever growing crowd to start the night off with some dancing.

Liz sighed and shook her head, but was still grinning. _Lucky her, getting to live out her little fairytale romance._ The brunette began to walk further into the room herself, but was forced to stop when Collin quickly sidled into her path. She grimaced down at the short boy. "Yes, Collin?"

"Lizzy, w-would you do me the honor of a dance?" He practically squealed the last word in what sounded like a chuckle of anticipation.

"Erm... oh! Collin, I would, but I have stay with Mary, she's in need of a friend tonight." She turned to indicate of whom she spoke, but found the girl gone. Liz frantically looked about, but her Asian roommate had completely vanished into the packed room, already lost and alone somewhere in the party. Liz supposed the girl could take care of herself, but... she had a bad feeling about this.

Liz muttered, "Well, er... I guess Mary doesn't need me." Collins grin widened, showing a rather yellow set of teeth. The freshman winced. "But still... um, that sounds nice Collin, really it does, but I'd really like to..." _be completely somewhere else? tell you to shove off? jab you with my fake sword until you go away?_ Her mind supplied her with many answers, but she felt none of them were appropriate.

However, Liz really should not have trailed off where she did, as she soon discovered. Collin said, "I'd like to, too! So then, shall we?" Without waiting for another answer, he grabbed Liz's hand and all but dragged her to the half of the room filled with lively dancing. Wrinkling her nose, Liz noticed his palms were unpleasantly sweaty. She found herself wishing she had worn gloves with her costume instead of the many skull and fake gemmed rings that now covered her fingers.

Once in the middle of the throbbing mass of dancers, Collin did not let go of Liz's hand, much to her displeasure. Instead, he managed to snatch up the other one then started jumping awkwardly about, swinging his hands with her in an attempt to make her do the same. But Liz refrained from doing any such thing as she just stood there, staring at her partner with dismay. Is this what he called dancing? She almost preferred Carolyn's version back at the park to this. And while it was sometimes fun to dance weirdly and without any control, no matter who was staring, this was just ridiculous. Liz actually did not care if anyone was staring one way or another, she just did _not_ want to be here.

Finally managing to wrestle her fingers free of the little guy's viselike grip, she made half an attempt at actually dancing herself. It was a little better, but not by much, that their hands were not practically glued together now. Without her anchoring him anymore, Collin tended to bump into people behind him, mumbling his apologies before picking back up right where he left off. He also had a tendency, given that he was perfect eye level with Liz's cleavage, to stare at places she did not appreciate. So to sum it up, the brunette quite thankfully charged away from the dance floor when the song finally ended.

"Tired already? But we were having so much fun!" Collin said behind her, pouting in an uncomely way.

Liz stifled a growl and placed her hands on her hips. She had hoped the little goblin would be satisfied and leave her alone for a while. She whipped around to face him, thinking quickly. "No, not tired. But I am thirsty..." _Hey, if it worked once before, it should work again,_ she hoped.

The greasy haired boy looked up at her suspiciously. "Really, now? You're _really_ thirsty this time, my dear Lizzy?"

She nodded firmly. "Yes, I could really use a drink right now. Would you be ever so sweet and go get me something?"

He was still staring at her through narrowed eyes. Hesitating a moment, he finally spoke up, "It'd be my pleasure... only just... you won't disappear this time?"

"Oh, Collin, you silly boy," Liz laughed. She hoped it did not sound too fake. "I just got here, why would I leave the party?"

"I guess that makes sense..." Collin responded slowly. Then, "What would you like?"

Liz shrugged then smiled warmly, "Surprise me." The boy still seemed doubtful, but finally turned and made his way towards a refreshment table. She kept herself from cheering in glee while she started pushing her way through the people in the opposite direction. She had indeed said she would not leave the party, she never had said she would stay in one spot. This would give her the time she needed to find George and hopefully the athlete would be enough to scare off Collin for the rest of the night.

However, finding him was quite a difficult task at a costume party, as she slowly discovered. She went through a mummy, two ghosts, and a crocodile, asking them if they were George - none of which were - before she stopped with a disappointed frown. Glancing around, there were still many people behind masks and elaborate costumes he could be. With a sigh, she just figured she would have to keep trying her luck until she found him or at least someone who knew where he was. She began to fight her way through the mob of people once more.

It was not long before she ran into another face she knew and this one made her smile, even though it was not the one she was looking for. Charlotte spotted her at the same time and waved at her excitedly. At first glance in the dim light, it seemed that she was wearing a simple black leotard and tights. But when she got closer, Liz realized that white and silver lines were all etched along the skin-tight garment, crisscrossing each other to form a cobweb design. Strings hung in a similar pattern from the older girl's arms and legs. Liz looked her over for a second, then asked, "You're... a spider web?"

"_Charlotte's_ web, to be exact. What do you think?" She asked, grinning big and slowly swinging her arms so the loose strings would trail around in the air. With a roll of her eyes, Liz just laughed and shook her head. Placing her hands on her hips, Charlotte said indignantly, "Well, I thought it was clever!" But she still wore a grin, so it was obvious she was not really offended.

"It's definitely cute," Liz admitted, another small chuckle escaping her lips. "Why didn't you come as the actual spider?"

With a shrug, her friend replied, "Oh, I thought about it. But the extra arms would have been too much work and just have gotten in the way. Besides, this shows off my girlish figure and the webs are fun to play with!" She flapped her arms once more, earning a smile from the brunette. "And you! You make one sexy pirate," she added with a nod.

"Why, thank you, I thought so as well," she agreed. Then, "Hey, you haven't seen George around by any chance, have you?"

Charlotte's face scrunched up in confusion. "Who? Oh wait, that basket ball player you told me about, right? No, I haven't. At least, I don't think I have. You know I've never actually met him and with this being a full blown Halloween party, I may have bumped into him and had no clue. Who knows?"

"I know what you mean," Liz nodded. "I _have_ met him, and even I'm having trouble locating him. Maybe..." The Brunette looked around again and spotted Lydia, still clinging like a barnacle to her guy friend. Their backs were to them, but Liz had a pretty good idea of who the boy was, especially since his 'costume' was his basketball uniform. "He'll probably know," she said, pointing in their direction. As Charlotte turned, Liz shouted, "Hey, Denny?"

The boy's head whipped around at the sound of his name. It took him a second but he finally spotted Liz, then smiled and turned, taking the skimpily-clad Lydia along with him. His walk over to them was slow and full of zigzags, suggesting that he might not exactly be fully sober. When the pair came to a wobbly stop before Liz and Charlotte, he gave her a lopsided grin. "Heeeeeey there, Eliz- uh... Alizi... Lizard... um, Lizzy!" As he stumbled over just saying her name in a slurred voice, Liz nodded to herself. _Yup, he's drunk alright._ He looked her over through squinty eyes. "I must say, if all pirates are as hot as you, then yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"

"Denny!" Lydia scolded, half-heartedly elbowing him in ribs. She was smiling though and giggling for no apparent reason. There was a good chance she was under the influence as well. "No picking up other girls while I'm around," she chided playfully.

"Whatever you say, babe," the boy answered, though he was still eyeing Liz rather crudely.

Hiding her mild disgust and ignoring Charlotte's amused snort, the brunette said, "Listen, I was wondering if you've ran into George here, yet? He said he was coming."

"Oh," was all Denny said at first, now staring blankly at her. The brunette raised an eyebrow at him as she waited. At last, he seemed to realize she had asked a question, then he cried, "Oh! Oh yeah, he... he said something."

_Oh yeah, real helpful there buddy,_ Liz's mind growled. "And...?"

"Annnnd, what he said was... what was it?" The intoxicated boy scratched his scalp in contemplation while Lydia, apparently bored of the conversation, was looking off towards the band and drumming her fingers against him in time with the music. "Oh! He said he had a _thing_... a paper, that's it. He had a paper to write tonight that was, like, a zillion pages long, so he couldn't make it to the party."

"What?" Liz asked, half in shock and half in sadness. Of all the things she had expected to night, she had not expected this. Grimacing, she added, "Well, that's fine, I suppose. I understand, that's more important."

Denny nodded rapidly then gripped his head again. Apparently, that had made him a little dizzy. "Yeah, he said to tell you he was real sorry. Though, between you n' me," he leaned forward, close enough for Liz to smell the alcohol, "I'm thinking he wouldn't of been so eager to have a paper... I mean, to write his paper, if a certain you-know-who wasn't here." He nodded his head in a direction that Liz assumed was supposed to be inconspicuous, but it was far from it.

The girl turned to see who he was gesturing towards, but she had a pretty good idea. Indeed, Will was leaning against the wall, staring out onto the crowd with disdain. Liz glared at him, but turned away. "I see. Well, thanks Denny, you've been a real help," Liz acknowledged. "Lydia, he's all yours again." She then grabbed Charlotte's arm and walked away from the inebriated couple, having gotten what she needed from them and not particularly wanting to stay in their presence. They did not seem to mind, as Denny staggered back over to a group of friends with Lydia in tow.

"Who and what was he talking about?" Charlotte asked curiously when they came to a stop again, glancing at Will out of the corner of her eye. Apparently, she had her suspicions, but did not say anything outright.

"Hm?" was the only noise Liz made at first, only half paying attention. Her mind was filling with a few select cuss words that were not making her feel all that much better. "Oh, well... it's a really long story, not something that is that much fun to hear at a party."

Charlotte grinned. "Think I care? Come on, spill."

Liz shook her head with a soft chuckle. She was not sure if it was her story to tell or if George had told her in confidence. Sure, she had already told it to Jane, but she told her twin everything. But then again, this was Charlotte. The two were already well into that same point in their friendship. Finally, she said, "Well, you see, it started with-"

She cut herself off as she looked away and surprise held her tongue. Will was walking her way and he seemed to be making a straight line for her with a determined look in his eye. _Oh, just dandy. What could he possibly want with me?_ her mind snarled. She did not want to deal with him, not when he was the reason George was not here. The main highlight of her evening had been taken away and she was not about to put up with the main disappointment. Besides, she knew she hardly had anything nice to say to the tall boy. She knew that it would probably be best if she just turned and tried to put as much distance between them as possible. But instead she just stood there, frozen with shock and rage, while Charlotte kept asking her what was wrong.

Fortunately - or possibly unfortunately - she was saved by the most unlikely person. "Lizzy, Lizzy, Lizzy!" Collin suddenly appeared at her elbow, drinks in hands, huffing from his struggle through the crowd and an excited look on his face. Liz jumped out of her stiff position when the little nerd appeared as if from no where, granting him a brief glance before looking up again. Will had come to a sudden halt, eyeing Collin uncertainly. For whatever reason the greasy student held the golden-haired boy at bay, Liz was thankful. Even if she did have to put up with Collin.

"I've been looking all over for you, Lizzy!" Collin cried, handing her a soda filled cup hastily so that a little splashed over the brim.

Liz sidestepped the spill then gingerly took the cup from the boy. She eyed its contents, but all she could tell was that it was of a brownish color and that if it was a soda, it was rather flat for it did not fizz as much as it should. "What is it?"

He waved a finger at her in reproach. "Na ah ah, you told me to surprise you, and I assure you, that will most _definitely_ be a surprise."

_Alright, I won't be drinking this at ALL,_ Liz decided as she looked into the cup again. It was then that she noticed that Collin had spoken the last sentence rather quickly, as if he had something more important to talk about. He certainly seemed ready to burst with whatever he had to tell her, for he was bouncing slightly on his feet. But she also saw that he was eyeing Charlotte rather curiously. "By the way, Collin, this is my friend Charlotte."

The taller girl put out her hand to shake his, but Liz ever so slightly shook her head no. She still remembered the unpleasant kiss he had placed on the back of her own when they first met. Charlotte pulled her hand back quickly and instead just said, "Nice to meet you."

Collin nodded in response then began to shift from foot to foot with impatience. Deciding to put him out of his misery, she questioned, "So, Collin... what's new with you?"

The slimy little creature grinned wide with relief. "Oh, well since you asked. You know how I kept saying that gentleman looked familiar to me?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, towards Will.

Being reminded of the jerk did nothing to help Liz's mood, so she just growled, "Yes."

"Well, I just realized that I do in fact know him! What a small world, yes? Amazing that I did not recognize him until he was all costumed up and Halloweened out." Liz did not bother to contemplate the use of the word 'Halloween' as a verb. "That, indeed, is William Darcy! He's a close acquaintance of my family. In fact, he's-"

"That's just great, Collin, really," Liz snapped. She really did not want to have anything to do with Will at the moment, much less hear anything about him. Especially coming from Collin, who would probably spend an hour talking about how expertly Will tied his shoelaces or how thoroughly Will brushed his teeth, or another one of those minor details that Collin seemed to so love to focus on. Liz asked boredly, "So, is there a point to all of this? Or you was that your incredibly exciting news?" The brunette knew how childish she was acting and somewhere in the back of her mind, she was feeling a twinge of guilt about it. But she crushed it, she was no longer in the good mood she had been when she arrived.

If Collin noticed the sharp tone in her voice, he gave no sign. He just continued to bubble with energy as he replied, "Of course, my sweet Lizzy, always straight to the heart of the matter, so practical on your part! Anyway, I was thinking that I'd go over there and strike up a conversation with him. I haven't talked to him in so long, and I'm sure he'd love to hear how my dear Mama is doing."

Blinking, Liz bit her lower lip. _I'm sure 'Mama' is the LAST thing Will wants to hear about,_ she thought as she felt the sparks of her anger slightly receding. She could imagine that the way the dark clad boy would treat Collin would make Liz's bad mood look like friendly banter. "Are you sure, Collin? Maybe it'd be better if you wait for him to approach you first. You don't want to... erm, embarrass him if he doesn't remember you right away." Sounded like a good enough excuse.

He chuckled then lightly patted her on the hand. "Ah, Lizzy, your forethought is truly a blessing. But I'm sure I've known William longer, and thus, how to approach this situation better. No, I think I'll go greet him now while he is not otherwise occupied." He then started making his way toward the subject of their talk, leaving Liz to share a look with Charlotte. Oh well, she had tried to warn him. Nothing left to do but stand back and watch.

The short highschool student quickly reached his destination and tapped Will on his caped shoulder. Either the taller boy did not feel it or was ignoring it, for he did not turn, just continued to scrutinize the band through his mask. Collin did it a second time, quite obviously much harder, and Will did face him this time, looking down at the newcomer. Without hesitation, Collin grabbed Will's hand and started to shake it vigorously. It shook Will's entire framed and a scowl began to darken the golden haired boy's face. Collin took no notice of this, just continued to shake his hand.

"This should be good," Charlotte commented. Liz nodded slowly, wanting to believe whatever happened would just make her laugh, but the squeamish feeling growing inside of her argued otherwise.

Will finally managed to yank his hand free of the other boy's grip, waving it slowly as if trying to soothe blood back into it while staring down at Collin. Shifting her gaze, Liz looked at Collin as well and realized the boy must be talking. She could barely make out his lips moving, but his extravagant hand gestures were very clear from here. Oh yes, he was going on about something. What exactly could not be heard over the noise of the party. It was certainly not pleasing Will, as his look did not soften or lighten up. He said nothing and did nothing as Collin continued on whatever long winded subject he had chosen to start on.

After a few minutes, the much shorter boy finally stopped, flashing an eager smile. Liz could swear she saw Will's lip curl ever so slightly, even from as far as she stood. However, he nodded and responded with a word, maybe two. It seemed to be exactly what Collin wanted to hear, for all of a sudden he had thrown himself at Will and was giving him a tight, death grip of a hug.

Charlotte laughed out loud next to her, covering her mouth slightly. Liz would have loved to join her, but all the hazel-eyed girl could do was stare mouth agape. She found that her own hands had gone to her cheeks on their own accord, hiding an agitated blush that was forming. This was bad. This was _very_ bad.

Will just stood there, as still as a statue and a look of pure violation on his face. When Collin finally released him, he was slow to moving and straightening out his costume, as if he still were not quite sure what had just happened. His green eyed glare was now directed at Collin in full force.

"I can't watch this anymore," Liz grumbled. She had had her fill of watching Collin make a fool of himself. Not the case for the small group of people surrounding the pair of boys, who were now watching with smirks on their make-upped faces.

"Really? I think I would be entertained for hours," Charlotte snickered back.

Liz shook her head resignedly. "Of course you would. You don't have to take the freak home with you after the party." Her cobweb covered friend just shrugged in response, still keeping an eye on the show. Liz continued, "Listen, when they're done, Collin's probably going to come back over here. Can you keep him busy for a little while? I really just don't want to be around him right now."

"Oh sure, dump him on me," Charlotte shot back, but she was only teasing. "Sure, no problem. I'll find some way to distract him."

"Thanks," Liz sighed gratefully.

With a nod, her friend said, "Of course. Now hurry, before he catches you making your get away."

She did not have to be told twice. The words had hardly left Charlotte's mouth before Liz was weaving out a path between people, away from the disastrous sight. Along the way, she handed her mystery drink to a random drunkard. He would probably get a kick out of it. She soon came to a stop, feeling she had lost herself in the crowd well enough. Most of her anger had ebbed away by now and she was only filled with a bland melancholy. How was she going to cheer herself up? George was not here, Charlotte was busy keeping Collin at bay, and she did not want to spoil Jane's night. She knew her sister was probably off somewhere with Charlie, dancing, laughing, having a good time... Liz refused to interrupt that. So... what now?

"Look who's here," a voice purred near Liz.

The brunette cringed then turned to look at Carol. With fuzzy, pointed ears, an equally long furry tail, whiskers painted on her face, and generally tight garments covering her figure - all a dingy black - it could easily be assumed that she was a cat. Liz thought a witch would have suited her more, but kept that idea to herself. "Hello, Carol," the pirate said through gritted teeth.

"Lizzy," the dark haired girl greeted, taking a delicate sip from her cup. Liz noticed that Carol's nails had been filed into points and painted black as well. Nice touch. "I hear you've been making friends," she cooed.

That was an interesting conversation starter. Raising an eyebrow, Liz replied, "Yeah, people tend to do that. I'm sure you've made a few too, despite your personality." She grinned innocently.

Carol frowned, glaring at Liz through lowered lashes. In a notably icier tone, she said, "I meant you've made friends with a particular someone... by the name of George, perhaps?"

_Ahhhh, so that's what this is about,_ Liz smiled. "Well, there are a lot of Georges in the world, how could I know which one you're talking about?"

The cat girl huffed. "You know perfectly well I'm talking about George _Wickham_."

"Hmmm... Wickham... Wickham..." the brunette said slowly, tapping her temple and making a big show of concentrating really hard on the name. She was enjoying watching Carol, who was obviously not a patient person, stew with vexation. Finally, she snapped her fingers and chirped, "Oh, _that_ George. Yes, I have bumped into him once or twice. He's really nice, don't you agree?"

"Nice?" Carol asked coldly. "I fear I must tell you that your _nice_, dear friend George is not who he seems. I would know, he and Will used to be very close." She stepped in closer to Liz, lowering her voice so it could hardly be heard over the music. "Now, I do not know exactly what happened, but I do know Will has good reason to hate him. So whatever George has said against Will, you cannot believe a word of it. He is a jerk who will lie to get whatever, or _whoever_, he wants." She eyed Liz significantly. Then a sickeningly sweet smile formed on her lips and false sympathy colored her words while she spoke, "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Lizzy sweetie. It must hurt to realize that you were so naive, so stupidly _gullible_ to fall for George's tricks."

_Carol always had a way with words,_ Liz thought with a roll of her eyes. Crossing her arms, she responded, "Okay, first off Carol, my names not Lizzy and I'm not your sweetie, so stop calling me that. Secondly, you accused him of a lot of stuff, but didn't prove any of it. In fact, the only real thing of importance you said was that he and Will were friends. That was certainly a mistake on George's part, but I think I'm willing to forgive him for that."

With every word, Carol's face grew nastier and nastier, looking as if she had smelled something gross. When Liz had finished, Carol turned on her heel, snarling, "Well, excuse me then! I was only trying to help you as a _concerned_ friend, but what do I know? Enjoy the rest of the party, _Lizzy sweetie._" With that, she stormed off, her tail swinging angrily behind her.

Liz frowned after the girl, keeping her own temper in check. Whatever that had been all about, she was not going to let Carol get to her. Whether she had wanted to turn her against George or make her feel like an idiot, she would not succeed. Instead, she just watched as Carol joined someone at a table and clearly started ranting and raving. With a wince, she realized that someone was Crystal. The reason for the flinch was no so much the person, since Liz probably would have been surprised if she had gone to anyone else. No, it was not who it was but what she was wearing. Apparently, Crystal was one of those girls who used Halloween to dress as scantily as possible, and it most certainly did not go well with her figure. Thinking she would never look at a thong the same way again, Liz quickly looked away before the ghastly image was burned into her memory forever.

However, seeing Crystal did remind her of something. She had yet to run into the lump's boyfriend, Matthew. The plump girl really would not have left him to hide in the room all night and not let him enjoy the party, would she? _Heck yeah, she would,_ Liz realized with a shake of her head. She really had to get on with the plan of dealing with Crystal. The thing was she had had no time for coming up with an actual plan, much less setting one in motion. Maybe she would start working on it during Winter break. Matthew had been under the control freak's power for this long already, he could wait a couple more months. But for now, Liz decided that she would at least hunt him down. Maybe this party would not be so bad after all.

The brunette began to push her way towards the bedrooms in back. As big as the apartment was, movement was beginning to get really difficult at this point. The only real room for moving about was on the dance floor, but that was a given. Eventually, Liz managed to squeeze through enough people to reach the back rooms. All were open and filled with people except for one, shut tight and covered with large, decorative cobwebs. Liz was betting that that was Matthew's place of imprisonment.

She tried the doorknob and found it locked. That was a good sign; someone had to be in there then, and she guessed it was either Matthew or a couple making out. She was going to find out right now, and if it was the latter, oh well, this was no time for romance anyway! She knocked on the door and pressed her ear against it as she shouted, "Matthew?"

"Go away!" Came a muffled voice from the other side that definitely sounded like who she was looking for. "There's no candy, booze, or girls in here!"

"Well, I'm don't want candy, I don't drink booze, and I'm all the girl I need, so why would I want another one?" She called back, smiling. There was no answer. She started to bang harder on the door and raised her voice, "Matthew, come on! It's me, Liz! Open up!"

Again, there was silence. She was about to knock even louder and throw in a threat of breaking the door down when she finally did hear something. The sound of the lock turning. Stepping back, she watched as the door creaked open just enough for an eye to peep through. "Liz? Really?" Came his voice, more audible now.

"Yeah, it's me, really. Don't let the eye-patch fool you," she grinned, flipping said item up so she could look at him with both eyes. After a second of scrutinizing her, he opened the door more with a weak smile on his face. Liz playfully pouted, "Awww, you're not in costume! Didn't anyone tell you it's Halloween?"

He leaned against the doorframe as he responded, "Well, I kind of figured it out on my own, what with the party and all. But I guess I... just didn't feel like it."

Liz did not believe that for a moment, especially with the way he kept looking around nervously. She had a good guess who he was keeping an eye out for. But not wanting to be difficult, she just played along, "Well, that's too bad. But hey, it's been a long time since I last saw you. What have you been up to?"

Matthew shrugged. "The usual, writing my plays. I just finished one," he managed a shy grin at that.

"Oh yeah? Was that the one that was going to be about me? Well, let me in, I want to read it!" She began to step forward, but halted at his firm headshake.

"You probably shouldn't. Crystal doesn't like anyone but me in her room." The pale boy stretched up taller to look over Liz's shoulder, as if the very mention of his girlfriend's name would summon her. Liz looked back herself, but thankfully the monster did not rear her ugly head.

Fiddling with her hat in thought, Liz said, "Well then, that's okay. I'll read it another time. How about instead, you come out and party with me?"

He shook his head again, his wild charcoal-colored hair waving frantically as he did so. "Oh no, you know Crystal's rules! I can't be seen or it'll ruin her flirtation status."

"Her 'flirtation status'?" Liz asked, not believing her ears. "If there is such a thing, trust me, she has a zero in it. No offense to you of course." Matthew looked like he was about to say something, but Liz did not want to hear his forced words of defense for his girlfriend. So she continued quickly, "Oh, come on, Matthew! You don't even have to go near her, no one has to know! We can get out there, have fun, dance, find you a nicer girlfriend so you can dump Crystal's bossy ass, it'll be a blast!"

"You sure you're not drunk?" Matthew asked crossing his arms. He let out a laugh, a small one, but it was a laugh none the less. Liz felt she was making progress.

"Come on, _Hershey_, what have you got to lose?" Liz nudged him hopefully.

For a second, it looked like he was going to actually defy Crystal and actually, heaven forbid, have fun without her. He began to take a step out of the door, then stopped. If possible, he grew even paler and said quickly, "No. No, I can't. It was nice talking to you again, Liz, but I got to run."

The brunette looked around for whatever had suddenly spooked the boy, but found nothing. He was just plain scared. She turned to face him again just as he slammed the door shut abruptly. Liz frowned as she heard the lock click back into place. She was not going to let him get away that easily.

She began banging on the door again and throwing in a few kicks, shouting, "Stop being a coward, Matthew, and get your butt back out here! You can't hide in there forever!" A few people began to stare, probably thinking the two of them were a couple having a fight. She did not care, she just ignored them and continued to assault the door. Soon, she started throwing a few obscenities at it as well, but she got no answer. Eventually her fist became raw with the abuse and her throat began to hurt. It was then that she gave up, resting her head against the door in defeat. After a few moments, she sighed, pushed herself away from the door and drifted back out to the party, paying no attention to the numerous eyes still watching her. They would lose interest sooner or later.

She wandered for a few minutes until she found a space of wall not occupied by a group of loud people or a couple making out. Leaning against it, she closed her eyes against the party. A headache was threatening to make a racket in her head and she did her best to silence it. Tonight was just not her night at all.

George had not shown up, Collin unfortunately had. She was isolated from Charlotte and she had no one else to blame but herself for that. Now Matthew was too scared to spend a just little time with her. Plus every little thing else that had not gone right was catching up to her. She really should have just stayed home.

She did not know how long she stood there, listening as the band changed from one song to another. Eventually, she noticed a female voice nearby in the middle of some sort of conversation. Liz would have paid it no mind since there were dozens of others just like it mixed in with the sea of voices. But this one was particularly annoying, increasing the aggravation of her headache. Plus, she had just heard mention of Jane's name. Opening her eyes, she looked to the source and found Missy chatting with a few other girls.

"Oh, I know! Jane and Charlie just make just the cutest couple, don't you think?" She twittered, making Liz twitch. The way she talked and swayed on her feet, it was clear that there was something alcoholic in her system. "It's as if they were made for each other. She's just so sweet and he's... well, he has more money than he knows what to do with! What more could any girl ask for? I'm so happy that I got them together."

Liz rolled her eyes. Missy was too much of a gossip for her own good, sober or not. She had not been the one to get them together, Jane and Charlie had just kind of clicked on their own. And of course she would concentrate on the fact that Charlie was rich. To Missy, that was the best quality a man could have.

Looking away with an annoyed snort, she noticed with a start that Will was not standing too far away from the redhead. In fact, the tall boy seemed to be directing his full attention on the R.A. Liz's headache got a little worse then as she returned her worried gaze back to Missy. Who knew how long the girl had been going on with Will standing right there? She hoped against all odds that the chatterbox would for once have the good sense to stop talking. She should have known that Missy had no sense at all, especially when drunk.

"You know, I've been hearing talk," Missy continued, her words tantalizing. "It's never too early to pop the question. Sure, they would be young, but I'm confident they could handle it. It really would not surprise me to hear wedding bells in the near future."

_Oh no, you did not just say that!_ Liz's mind cried as she watched Missy take a sly sip from a cup she held. A loud scoff drew her attention back to Will. He most definitely not pleased with what he had heard as he turned to walk away. Great, just great. Had all her friends gotten together and decided to make themselves look like fools in front of Will? She tried telling herself she did not care what that boy thought, she hated him. But it still irked her, no matter what she told herself.

And _still_ Missy was going on. "Where do you think they'll honeymoon? I was thinking Italy, or maybe France. Heck, why not both? He has the money, and every bride deserves to-"

"Missy, shut up!!" Liz yelled. Missy and her companions all turned, surprise plastered across their faces. Lowering her voice to a mere snarl that could still be heard, Liz went on, "Please, keep your pointless opinions to yourself! Just shut up, shut up, _shut up!_"

A second passed where Missy just blinked hazily at her. Then a crooked smile spread across her face. "Lizzy, ish that you? My, you're quite grumpy tonight, aren't you?"

Something most definitely snapped inside Liz. She was about to lunge at Missy – to do what, she was not certain, but she was sure it would hurt – when a hand on her arm stopped her. She whipped around to unleash her rage on the owner, but stopped. It was Charlotte, smiling soothingly at her.

Her friend looked over at Missy, who was still blissfully unaware of the danger she was in. "I think you need to refill your drink, Missy," Charlotte coaxed.

The redhead shifted her unsteady gaze into her almost full cup. "You know, I think you're right," she agreed. She then swaggered over to a refreshment table, her companions following after her closely. Where else were they going to get their juicy gossip from?

Before she realized what she was doing, Liz was hugging Charlotte. The taller girl always seemed to know just what to do. And simply by being in her presence, it felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Charlotte laughed then asked, "Rough night?"

Pulling away, Liz nodded slowly. "Yeah, it's just been one rough... long night." She frowned at herself before saying, "Even so, I usually don't let things get to me so badly. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Don't worry about it, we all have them. Even 'perfect little angels' like you," she grinned wickedly.

Liz laughed at her friend's sarcasm. She then noticed that, except for herself, Charlotte was alone. "Hey, how'd you manage to lose Collin?"

"I didn't. He's off using the little boy's room."

"Ah," was all Liz could think to say at first. Then, with an air of guilt, she added, "Sorry for dumping him on you."

Charlotte placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder again, a few webs from her costume trailing down Liz's shoulder. "No, it's fine really. I've actually had fun talking to him."

Liz smirked. "Yeah right, like I believe that! Charlotte, it's me, you know you don't have to be nice on my account. In fact, let me make it up to you. I'll take him for the rest of the night." She was already having a bad time, it could not get much worse. Besides, she already felt a lot better after having a few comforting minutes with her friend.

"But I'm serious, Miss Eliza!" The taller girl chuckled. "Sure, he's a little goofy, but that's part of why I liked talking to him. We also danced a few times and I thought the way he kept tripping over his feet was kind of cute."

Now Liz was staring at Charlotte blankly. "You're kidding, right? You mean... you actually liked all his clumsiness?" The curly haired girl nodded. Liz pursed her lips, then asked, "So... what did you talk about?"

"More often then not, he was talking about you. I think he really likes you," she said with a wink.

"Joy," Liz muttered and her friend laughed again. "It's not funny! I don't want him to like me! What would you do? You have to have some-"

A gentle tap at her shoulder cut Liz off. Glancing over her shoulder, she almost bit her tongue in surprise. There Will stood, staring at her through that white mask with an unreadable expression. Questions began to fill her mind. _Where'd he come from? Didn't he just walk away? What's he want with me? If I pretend he's not there, will he leave?_ She did not put much hope into the last question.

When she once more found her voice, all she managed to say was, "Will."

"Elizabeth," he responded. He then followed it by looking away briefly and clearing his throat. Okay, so far so good. A little uncomfortable, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, when he looked at her again, he asked something very out of the ordinary. "Would you like to dance?"

Her eyes widened and for a moment, all she could do was stare. Had that just really happened? Had Will really asked her to dance? He could not possibly have, it had to be some sort of trick. That was it, a trick. Liz was not going to be fooled so easily. Instead of responding, she shot a tight-lipped smile at him and said nothing.

There were very few times that Liz had successfully read an emotion on Will's often guarded face. This was one of them, the emotion being confusion. She could not see Charlotte, but she was certain a similar look was crossing her friend's face behind her. After a few seconds passed where nothing but the music and loud party-goers could be heard, Will spoke up again, a little louder this time, "Elizabeth? I asked if-"

"Oh, I heard you just fine," she interjected, the same smile frozen on her face. "I just didn't know what to say yet. I know you wanted me to say 'yes,' but only so you could laugh at my taste in music or mock my love of dancing. However, I'm sure you know by now what a stubborn brat I am and how much I like to ruin other people's fun like yours. So I have finally come to my answer: no, I would not like to dance."

Will raised an eyebrow at her, but other than that, his face was blank once more. Liz was still grinning at him, though it was a little less chilly. That had felt good. When the tall boy replied, it was low and earnest. "I was not trying to make fun of you in anyway. I was seriously asking if you wanted to dance." He paused for a second, then added for clarity, "With me."

The grin on Liz's face gradually began to fade as his words sunk in. He was not joking, or if he was, he was doing a very poor job of it. But she knew he was telling the truth. And her insides jolted with the shock as her mind was suddenly going a mile a minute. _Damn it, what do I say now? I can't accept, I promised myself this night couldn't get any worse! How to get out, how to get out? Just have to give him an excuse. It's that easy, a nice, simple excuse. Yeah, that's it._

"I'm... sorry, Will, but I- um, I don't dance," she began. _Okay, good, good, but I can't stop there. I need a reason. Let's go, Liz, you can do this!_ "I don't dance... unless... unless it's to a slow song!" Her mind was silent. Then, _What the hell was THAT?_ She proceeded to call herself every bad word imaginable. She almost did not hear Will's response, what with all the angry thoughts filling her head.

"Okay then, until the next slow song," he muttered with a nod, then disappeared into the throng.

"Did he just..." Liz began in bewilderment.

Charlotte nodded, "Yup."

"And I..."

"Mmm-hmm!"

Liz shook her head a little woozily. "What was I thinking? Am I crazy?"

Charlotte giggled as she answered, "Yes, you are crazy, but that's beside the point." She dodged as the brunette feebly swatted at her. "Now, now, none of that, no roughhousing before your big dance."

"What am I going to do?" The hazel eyed girl shook her head again, trying to figure out a logical escape route. But nothing came. Well, nothing that even resembled a logical plan. "Charlotte! Trade lives with me!"

"Would if I could, yours looks like so much fun!" the curly topped girl grinned.

Liz snorted. "You call this fun? Now who's the crazy one?" She then gulped as she heard the music change. The instruments played a little softer, the singer's voice became more throaty... yes, it was the dreaded slow song. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes!" Charlotte cried, her grin now practically evil. "You know what that means!" She grabbed Liz by the shoulders, spun her around towards the dance floor, and began to push her forward. The shorter girl's feet slid against the ground for a bit before she reluctantly began to move them so she would not trip.

With a final, light shove from her friend, she stumbled a few more inches forward then looked up to find Will. He looked very regal in that costume and the way he held himself. That only made her want to be here less. She smiled at him, but it was one of sheer discomfort. One would think she would have come up with a better excuse to avoid dancing with the man she disliked so.

Will then held out his hand and, without a word between them, Liz took it.

She was not quite sure how it had happened. Maybe it had just seemed like the thing to do when slow dancing, thus Liz had done it without even thinking. Maybe Will had maneuvered her so gently that she had just not noticed it. However it had happened, she was surprised when she found that her head was resting against Will's chest as they danced in slow circles. Her whole body stiffened with the realization then hate washed through her. She hated the sound of his heartbeat quietly thumping against her ear. She hated that he smelled nice, faint and unidentifiable as it was. She hated how perfectly she seemed to fit under his chin. And she hated the blush that she felt creeping into her cheeks.

She hated it all because it made her not want to hate him. It made her want to forget how he had treated her and, worse yet, how he had treated George. But she was not going to allow that to happen. Liz was ready to spring at a chance, _any_ chance to pull away.

"You make a nice pirate," Will murmured; his awkward attempt to start conversation. The brunette felt his voice rumble through his chest as he spoke. She hated that too.

But that was what the girl had been waiting for. She pulled herself away from him, not so much that they stopped dancing, but enough that all that was left touching was his hands on her waist and her arms around his neck. Now all she had to do was say something, anything, to keep the distance between them. Liz snapped out the first thing that came to mind. "What a rude thing to say!"

He frowned at her. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I mean, think about it. I'm a pirate, and pirates are scoundrels, rogues, scourge of the oceans, feared throughout the seven seas. They are crude, scurvy seadogs that make you walk the plank. And you have the nerve to call me 'nice.' No wonder I'm offended."

A smile formed on Will's lips, so tiny it was almost not there. Had she not been so used to the emotionless line his lips usually were, Liz probably would not have seen it at all. But there it was. And it was rather cute. Liz added it to her ever growing list of things she hated about Will. "Well, pardon me and my slip of the tongue. Can you ever forgive me, Eliza-"

"That's Captain to you," she said sharply. Liz wanted to be difficult in whatever way possible, no matter how small.

However, she had not seemed to upset him. If anything, his smile only seemed to widen ever so slightly. What was he grinning about anyway? The boy had made it quite clear when they first met that he was an arrogant jerk, so he could hardly be enjoying her company. He probably just found her sense of humor 'quaint' and was patronizing her. That had to be it. Will amended, "Well then, _Captain_, can you ever forgive me?"

She chose to ignore his question. "And what about your costume, who are you supposed to be? Tuxedo Mask?"

That wiped the smile clean off his face, replacing it with the more usual frown. Good. "I'm not sure which is worse, that you made that reference or that I recognized it. But no, I am the Phantom of the Opera."

"Oh. Nice," was all she could think to say. So, her first guess had been right. Liz had not really thought he would come as a character from a girly anime TV show, but that just sounded so much more insulting than actually guessing correctly. _Hmmm, so Will is indeed the Phantom of the Opera: the musical genius with a deformed face hidden behind a mask. Too bad for Will that no mask could hide his deformed personality,_ Liz snorted with the thought.

"What's so funny?" her dance partner asked, a note of suspicion in his voice.

She shook her head quickly. "Oh, it's nothing." _Hmm, time for a change of subject,_ Liz decided. Eyeing the live singer a few feet away from them, she said, "I like the band you got to play for tonight."

"Charlie picked them," he informed her simply.

"Ah, that makes sense, they sound more like a group Charlie would choose."

"What do you mean by that?" Liz noted that she seemed to have sparked his curiosity, though she was not quite sure why. This conversation had not gotten interesting... yet.

With a coy grin, she answered, "Oh, nothing really. Just most of their music tonight has been energetic and bouncy and happy and so on. It suits Charlie. You know, some people say that the music a person listens to affects their personality."

Will seemed to consider her words for a second. "I suppose I could see that, at least for some people."

"Of course," Liz allowed. "Now, for _your_ music in particular... do you think other people that listen to it are stuck-up, conceited jerks?"

He blinked at her question. "Huh?"

Liz wryly tilted her head to one side, still smiling. "Oh, forgive me, I meant to put it like you said: that only _some_ people that listen to the same music as you end up arrogant asses."

Narrowing his eyes at her, he began, "Are you s-"

"No, no," she cut him off, tapping her finger on his nose in reproach. "I get to ask the questions right now, you can have your turn later." She paused, now bringing her finger to tap her chin in thought. "Maybe I should not be looking at your choice in music. What else do you do?"

"I don't like where this is going," Will said stiffly.

"You're right, me neither. That's just way too broad of a subject, we need to keep this narrowed down. So, music it is," she settled with a nod. "What bands do you listen to? I know some of them already, but I want to know all. Just so I can avoid them, I don't want to become a bigheaded-"

Will interrupted loudly, "Can I ask you one thing, _Captain_?"

Liz gave it a little thought – well, a lot of thought, during which Will became visibly impatient. Finally, she sighed, "Fine, I suppose. But just this once."

"Is there a point to all these questions?"

_Why, Will, to piss you off, of course! Thought it was obvious,_ the hazel-eyed girl mused. She smiled at him innocently and instead said, "I'm just trying to figure out who you are. You're just so mysterious and guarded and..."

"And a stuck-up, conceited jerk?" he filled in quietly.

Liz pretended to be shocked. "You said it, not me."

Will pointed out in the same tone, "You implied it."

"Oh, I was only joking... kind of," she muttered the last part under her breath as she patted Will on the cheek in mock reassurance.

He opened his mouth, but before he could utter a sound, a giggly squeal rung out, "Lizzyyyyyyyy!" A weight slumped onto her back, a light one but with a lot of force behind it. It almost made Liz fall forward into Will's chest once more, but she stood firm. Turning with a bemused smirk, the teenager found a drunk Kitty clinging to her shoulders.

"Oh, Liz, you and Will, just the two of you dancing is so purtiful," the blonde hiccupped into Liz's ear. "I think you two make the bestest couple out here, really! I'm soooo glad you forgave him."

The tall boy quirked an eyebrow, but before he could question that statement, Liz said quickly, "Heh, Kitty, always so confused when you've drunk too much."

"Eh?" her housemate looked at her oddly. "But I thought – oh wait, riiiiight, that's a secret, shhhhh." Kitty laughed, putting her finger to her lip. Liz rolled her eyes. _Ah, always the tactful one as well._ Her thoughts were cut off as Kitty wobbled heavily while still attached to Liz's back. It was only Will's firm hands around her waist that kept her from falling over. Still slightly staggering under the added weight, Liz listened as the girl continued. "Still, I'm, like, so jealous, you and Jane are so lucky. I just was listening to Missy talk about Jane and Charlie and their plans and, and, and it just sounds so romantified and stuffs."

Watching Will's eyes darken as the skimpy blonde went on, Liz made a face. Just what she needed to make this night even better, a reminder of what her nosey R.A. was babbling about. "You really shouldn't listen to Missy... period," she stated. "Anyway, did you need something, Kitty? Or just felt the need to fasten yourself to my back like Velcro?"

Kitty stared at Liz a moment through dull, alcohol-dazed eyes. Liz swore she could see the gears slowly started to turn inside the other girl's head as her brain started up again. "Oh! Oh, yeah! I was wonderin' if either of you've seen Alex, the guy who gave me a ride. I seemed to have misplaced him."

"Sorry, no," Liz answered with a frown as Will briskly shook his head.

"Maaaan, you guys are helpless!" Kitty harrumphed angrily. Liz figured she meant 'useless' or 'no help,' but did not correct her. The blonde freshman liked to mix and make up words when she was drunk, as she had demonstrated many times already. "Fine, I'm gonna go ask them people over there." She then staggered off, nearly tripping over nothing at all several times.

And the same slow song was still going. _How long is this one?_ the brunette wondered with a grumble. She certainly felt it had gone on long enough. But Will seemed content to see the entire dance out, for after he stopped scowling after Kitty's form, he turned and mumbled, "I'm sorry, your... friend distracted me. What were we talking about?"

"Not much, really. In fact, I'm sure you couldn't find two other people in this room that have less to talk about than us," Liz stated blandly.

The golden haired boy seem slightly taken aback by this statement. Then, perhaps in an attempt to prove her wrong, he asked slowly, "Read any books lately?"

"I hope you realize how lame that just sounded," Liz informed him and watched as he turned a little red in the cheeks. Anger for her criticism? Probably. "And besides, I'm a Lit major, so of course I've read books lately - lots of them."

She thought she saw him turn a little redder, but he continued on as his normal, straight faced self, "What books have you read? Maybe I've heard of some of them."

"Oh no, I'm positive you and I don't read the same books. And if by some small chance we have, I doubt we'd think the same about them," she responded bluntly. It seemed she had come to the silent conclusion tonight to not have a friendly conversation with Will.

"Do you really believe that?" the boy asked uncertainly, and she just nodded without hesitation. "Well then, at least we have something to talk about. Tell me what you've read until I recognize one, then we can compare opinions."

Liz frowned, feeling silly. _What is this, and Halloween party or Debate Class 101?_ She responded hastily, "Like I said before, I'm sure we don't share a single book in common."

Will shrugged. "Fine then. What video games do you like, besides _Beaten and Rebeaten_?"

The freshman felt an involuntary twitch in her lip. Why was the normally tight-lipped boy so suddenly interested in conversation, and about her none the less? She really did not want to make things easy for him one way or another, so she just snapped, "That's it." It was not true, but she did not care. As long as it put a roadblock in whatever Will was trying to do.

His green eyes – at least the one visible beyond the mask – studied her. "That's it? Just the one?"

"Yup."

"How about movies?"

She blinked up in surprise at him. "You watch movies? I thought that would be a form of entertainment too... well, common for you."

The brunette thought that she would have made him angry again, which was her aim. There was a good bet that if Will was irritated, then he would stop talking. But instead, she found him smiling that tiny, mysterious smile again, that one she hated so much. "Of course I do. Doesn't everybody?"

She bristled, hiding a glare as she looked away. But then an idea struck her. She knew how to deal with Will. Gazing at him once more and smirking, she said, "Actually, I was planning on seeing a movie soon with a buddy of mine. Maybe you know him? He goes by George."

The change was instant in Will's face. Grin went to scowl, eyebrows shot downward and his whole face turned red, contrasting with the pure snow white of his mask. It left no doubt it Liz's mind that he knew exactly which George she was talking about. He was silent at first then in strangled voice, he spat, "George seems fortunate to make friends everywhere he goes. Whether he can keep them or not is another matter."

"He was so unlucky to have lost your friendship," she shot back bitterly. "I hope you know that he's had it rough because of you."

"Him, had it rough? Don't make me laugh," he retorted. "I don't know what stories he's been telling you, but they're just that: stories. Nothing more."

The pirate smiled up at the phantom, but it held no warmth in it what so ever. "Tsk, I do believe you're calling my dear friend George a liar. I don't take too kindly to that."

She felt his grip tighten around her waist slightly as his agitation grew. "Don't tell me you're falling for his act?"

"He's never given me any reason to distrust him," came her huffy response.

Will's eyes flashed and he leaned in closer to her. "You want me to give you a reason?" he questioned in a hushed, cold tone. Liz did not like how close he had suddenly gotten nor his intense stare. She wanted to do something, anything, even go so far as to bite his nose – that was how near he was – to get him to back off. Luckily, she did not have to resort to such measures, for then something most unexpected happen.

The music came to a shuddering and sudden stop as the guitar let out a squawk of outrage. Several couples, including Will and Liz, jumped at the awkward noise. Turning to the stage, it took a second for Liz to register everything that was going on up there. The singer was fumbling his mic after having nearly dropped it surprise. Several of the members had stopped playing, including the guitarist... who was not actually holding his guitar. Every band member was staring with disbelief at the new person on stage that did have the guitar... and that person was Mary.

Apparently, the short girl had wrestled the instrument free of its owner and was now having her musical way with it. It was not a very pleasant scene, to neither the eyes nor the ears. Mary was staggering back and forth on the stage, bumping into the drum set and two of the band members. She came to a rough stop when she tumbled forward, still on the stage, and then rolled over onto her back, laughing nonstop. It was quite clear that Mary, the sweet, uncorrupted little girl that Liz knew, was rip roaring drunk.

Her condition was affecting her abilities with the guitar as well, and not in a good way at that. After the initial abusing note she had released from the instrument, what followed was an assault to the ears of all those present. While the dark-haired girl plucked haphazardly at the strings, threatening to snap each one, horrible sounds emerged. The normally talented guitarist that was Mary was not present at all in this smashed version. It was amazing that the poor guitar had managed to survive this far, especially after her careless flop onto the floor.

"Oh, no," Liz muttered worriedly as she began to push towards the stage to put a stop to the display. She ran past several couples, some of the guys laughing and their dates smacking or yelling at them to silence them. _Did EVERYONE I know have to get drunk tonight and make themselves complete idiots?_ Liz's thoughts raged. _And Mary included, of all people!_

As she got to the foot of the platform, she nearly bumped into a large banana. That is to say, Luc. For once, his usual mischievous grin was not present as he shared a look of concern with Liz. They both turned to the intoxicated Mary and Liz tried first. "Mary, please, get down!"

It was clear her friend had not heard her as she continued to make the guitar twang with horrid results. The band was not being any help, just watching her, dumbfounded. Luc tried next, his voice carrying a little louder. "Mary, very nice, er, playing you did there. But I think you've... entertained everyone enough for tonight. Why don't you let other people have a turn?"

Mary had heard this time, for the catastrophe of sound came to a stop. She turned her head from where she lay at an uncomfortable looking angle to blink at Luc. "But why, Mr. Banana-Fana-Bo-Bana? I'm having fun!"

Luc looked at Liz, then shrugged. "Because Mr. Banana-Fana-Bo-Bana says so."

The messy-haired girl shot him a toothy, giggly grin. "Enh, wrong! That's not a reason! Try again."

Liz decided to try again, now that they had Mary's attention. "Because... um, because you're just too _good_, you're making the rest of the band look bad! Isn't that right?" she directed her question at the singer, the closest person to the front of the stage. He was frozen like the rest, a few shocks of red hair sticking out from underneath his scruffy black hat.

"Huh? What?" Was the first dazed response the scarecrow gave. But he then seemed to jolt out of his stupor, a few straws of hay falling from his costume. "Oh, oh yeah, way too good. You're frightening our normal guitarist, he's afraid he'll lose his job."

The musician in question shot the singer a look, but Mary did not notice. "Ooo, I getcha. Don't want to go around scaring people, so I s'pose I'll get down." She rolled over, nearly crushing the guitar, and shakily began to stand up. When she almost fell again, the singer grabbed her by the arm and helped her to the edge of the stage where Liz and Luc waited. On the way, Mary apologized to the guitar she held several times for trying to take its job. No one tried to correct her.

After Mary handed over the instrument and hopped off the stage – in which Luc cushioned her leap – Liz gave her thanks to the singer, who just smiled and said it was no problem. He seemed like a friendly person after he had gotten over the initial shock of what Mary had done. The brunette just guessed that they did not get drunken spotlight stealers on their stage very often.

"What happened?" Liz asked Mary as she rejoined her, the Asian leaning heavily on Luc now.

"Not so loud, Liz!" Mary whined, cringing at bit. "Chill out, like that guy said."

"Chill out?" That was not something one expected to hear from Mary. She then snapped, "What guy?"

The shorter girl shrugged happily. "Just some guy. A really _nice_ guy, he was all friendly and sweet and told me not to be sad. He gave me something to drink, told me it'd make me feel better. So I drank it!"

"Oh no, Mary, you didn't. Do you even know what was in it?"

"Not a clue, but he was right, I felt a _lot_ better afterwards. And I drank more and more and – oh, shiny, whassat?" Mary tried to make a dash for said shiny item, whatever it was, but Luc kept a firm grip on her.

Grimacing, Luc mumbled, "I think I better get her home."

Liz frowned with guilt. She really should have tried to hunt down Mary at the beginning of the party instead of just letting her wonder off with how depressed she was. She took back her earlier thought about her friends being drunken idiots, at least where it involved Mary. This really had not been the poor girls fault. Now, Liz was not so much angry, but still felt embarrassment coursing through her.

She turned to look at the rest of the crowded party. The band had struck up again and everyone else had seemed to have lost interest quickly. Will was no where to be seen. Liz snorted. _Probably did not want to be associated with me at all, after what just happened. Well, good then, I didn't want to deal with him anyway._ She nodded to reassure herself.

"Yeah, I've had enough of this party for tonight anyway," Liz grunted. "I'll see if I can hunt down Missy and the rest of the carpool."

He nodded his assent then began to drag off a very talkative Mary. It seemed the Asian had decided to ramble about how stretchy shoelaces could be. Liz set off immediately to find everyone as quickly as possible. She could not get out of here soon enough. It was like she had told Charlotte earlier. This had just been one extremely long night.

* * *

A/N: Whew, long chapter! Hope ya'll enjoyed it. If ya noticed, this is over a week late, so sorry about that! Last weekend the upload doc thingie wasn't working and that was the only part of the week I had time to upload! So it had to be delayed until now, my first free time in a lil while... man oh man, this quarter is busy -.- I hope I survive! 

Anyhoo, I hope there were no grammatical errors in this one I missed... like i said I've been busy, only had time to skim his long ass chapter once, so I won't be surprised if I missed a few. Until next chapter, see ya!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The morning after Halloween, Liz did not wake up with a hangover. She and Jane were probably the only ones in their apartment that did not, what with the huge quantities of alcohol each of the other four girls had the night before. No, Liz arose with a perfectly clear head and a grin of drowsiness on her face. However, as she grew more fully awake, something else assaulted her mind. Guilt.

She felt so ashamed of the way she had acted all night. Just because George had not shown up, gave her no reason to act like a bratty child deprived of her favorite toy. She had thrown an emotional tantrum the entire party, lashing out at whatever or whoever came by. None of the people had really deserved it. Not Missy, not Collin, not Carol... not even Will, as much as she hated to admit it. True, she knew that Will was a large part of the reason George had not been there, but what had happened between the two had been a long time ago. What had she hoped to achieve by being so rude to one of the hosts of the party?

With a sigh, she resolved to keep a more level head in the future around Will. That did not mean she intended to be friends with the boy. Just that she would not so willingly go looking for fights with him.

Liz's stomach growled. She decided that was as good a sign as any that it was time for breakfast. Kicking off the covers and pushing herself out of bed, she made her way for the door. Jane's bed was already neatly made and empty, as per usual on most mornings.

Listening to the splashes of the shower running as she walked past the locked bathroom, Liz soon found herself in the apartment's adjoining kitchen-dining room. Kitty and Lydia were leaning back in some chairs around the table, groaning and arguing over he was in more pain. Missy was nearby, sheltering a mug of coffee closely with her hands and laughing at the other two girls. She winced sometimes at loud noises, but that was the only outward sign of any hangover she may have had. Mary was in another chair, her head resting face down against the surface of the table and not making any noise at all. Finally, sitting at the table as well was Jane, the only one not still in her pajamas. She was the picture of perfection and had a bright smile on her face. Liz really hated morning people. Jane was lucky she was her sister.

Blinking groggily, Liz did a double take at the people. All her housemates were there... so that left her wondering out loud, "Who's in the shower?"

Missy glanced over at her. "Oh, it's only Collin."

"Collin?" Liz asked, crinkling her nose slightly. "What, does Luc's shower not have any hot water?" As she spoke, she moved into the kitchen, digging a bowl and a box of cereal out of the cabinets.

In between sips of coffee, the RA responded, "Collin didn't stay at Luc's last night. Luc stayed here, with me, so Collin slept on the couch."

"Oh. I suppose that makes sense," Liz consented. _I just hope he's not using any of my shower stuff, especially my body soap and poof._ She wondered as she poured milk into her cereal, "Where's Luc?"

"Classes," Missy stated simply.

Nodding, Liz grabbed a spoon and headed to the table with her breakfast. She took as seat in between her sister and Mary, smirking at the latter who still had not moved since she had arrived. "So, what have we learned from last night?"

There was a muffled grumbling, then Mary turned her head to the side, resting her cheek on the table now and looking at Liz through heavily lidded eyes. "Never to consume _anything_ ever again."

The brunette laughed, "Well, I'm sure you can still consume some stuff. Just try to avoid the ones that are alcoholic in nature."

The other girl shrugged unconvinced, then turned away once more, her head and face being lost underneath the mass of dark hair that surrounded it. Liz patted her lightly on the shoulder with one hand as she took her spoon in the other and began to stir her cereal.

"Oh, Liz," Jane said, pulling the brunette's attention to her other side. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Her words were low, as if she hoped no one else would hear her. Mary was too busy trying to block out the entire world, so Liz assumed that they had no worries of her overhearing. The other three girls seemed to have started a conversation of their own and their natural affinity towards being loud pretty much assured there would be no problem with them either. "What is it?"

"You see... I was talking to Charlie last night," the blond began, the bit her lower lip as she stopped to think on her words.

"Well, yeah, you tend to do that when you spend the entire party with one person," Liz grinned around a spoonful of frosted flakes.

Rolling her eyes, Jane said, "You know what I meant." She paused again for a moment, still contemplating, then seemed to just get on with it. "I started asking him questions about George."

"Oh?" was all Liz questioned. She was willing to hear Jane out, but she had a good guess that her twin had nothing good to say. Otherwise, she would not be trying to keep her words quiet nor have the unusual frown present on her face.

"Charlie said that he only knew a little bit of what happened between George and Will and what he did know, he was sure Will preferred that he did not talk about it. But he did say he was sure that George deserved much worse than he received from Will for what he did." Liz could not keep back a cynical snort, causing Jane's frown to deepen. "Liz, please listen. I'm not sure I like you hanging out with that boy."

Liz shook her head with a laugh, "What, are you Mom now?" Her sister rolled her eyes again and Liz smiled more warmly at her. "Let me ask you this. Does Charlie know George? Did he know him back when everything happened?"

The blond slowly shook her head 'no.' "He just met him that day you ran into him at the Boardwalk."

"Then all he knows is what Will told him. Since he does not know first hand what happened, Will could have changed things around to make himself look like the good guy." Jane looked like she was about to jump in to argue, but Liz continued quickly, "I know you don't think Will

would do that. But let's just agree to disagree right now, hm? George is my friend, I'm not going to turn against him so easily."

Sighing heavily, Jane muttered, "I just don't want see you get hurt."

"You won't, I promise," the brunette girl assured her as the door to the bathroom opened. Out stepped Collin, slightly less greasier than usual and a little more bounce in his step. As he walked over to the table the girls sat at, Liz bent her head further over her bowl.

"Greetings, good ladies, greetings!" He cried, causing all other conversation to stop. Jane smiled and Missy looked expectant while Lydia rolled her eyes and her roommate shook her head. Mary flinched. "My, don't you all look absolutely lovely today? I truly count myself as one of the lucky ones to be in the company of such nice, beautiful, intelligent women. If only the time of my departure weren't quickly approaching, only a few days away in fact. I mean, of course, I long to see Mama dearest, but it won't be the same seeing each and every one of your bright faces every morning."

"Mornin', Collin," Liz said without interest and without looking up. No one else spoke.

The boy glanced at Liz and his grin grew wider. "Ahhh, my dear, sweet Lizzy. A perfect vision of loveliness and grace. It is no wonder you have captured my heart so." Liz raised an eyebrow, but continued to remain indifferent to him. Lydia and Kitty were softly chuckling, but the brunette just ignored them. She had already forgiven Missy for this embarrassment, especially since she only had to endure his presence a few days longer, just like the little nerd had said. "Morning it is indeed, a wonderful, glorious shining morning at that! It is going to be fantastic, not just the morning itself, but what I have planned for it."

"And what would that be?" the brunette droned blandly as she rested her chin in her hand. She was not acting disinterested on purpose or to be rude, it was just Collin had that affect on her.

He was silent for a moment as he took in the room a second time, then cleared his throat. "Well... I was hoping to speak to you in private about that, Lizzy dearest."

She snorted, finally looking up from her bowl of swirling flakes. "Collin, I'm sure whatever you have to say to me can be said in front of everyone else. Isn't that ri-" she stopped abruptly as she looked around the table. From the looks on their faces - at least the ones she could see, what with Mary still hiding behind a veil of hair - she was suddenly not so sure of what she had just said.

Missy had a thoughtful gleam in her eye, too thoughtful for Liz's tastes. _Maybe I should rethink that whole thing where I forgave her,_ Liz frowned. The redhead was the first to speak. "You know, I think I just remembered... ah, _something_ that I had to do."

Taking their cue from Missy, Kitty and Lydia both stood up from their chairs at the same time. "I have to get dressed," Kitty stated quickly.

"And I need to give Denny a call," came Lydia's excuse immediately on the heel's of her friend's sentence.

As the three girls began to clear out, Liz halted them with a hasty, "No! No, no, stop! All of you! I'm sure all of that can wait, really! Look! Missy, you haven't even finished your coffee." She gestured to the abandoned mug on the table, still steaming slightly with warmth.

"Nah, it's fine. I really have to get to... to this thing that I have to do," the RA grinned, trying to reassure the hazel-eyed girl. It did not work.

Instead, Liz asked suspiciously, "And what, may I ask, is this thing that must be done now?"

"Uh... er, I have to- that is to say, that I..." Missy stuttered for words, but obviously could come up with none.

Liz smiled triumphantly and was about to call her plump housemate on her lie when Mary let out a soft groan. Everyone looked over at the girl, who was slowly rising from her seat as if it was a struggle to move every limb.

"Ah-ha!" Missy exclaimed, rushing around the table to help the hung over girl up. "I have to help Mary. Get her some water, Advil, vitamins, juice, all sorts of stuff, can't let her have a headache now can we? Let's go, you poor thing," her voice, loud and rapid one minute before, became soft and sympathetic when talking to Mary. Once more, she began to leave the dining area, this time with Mary in tow.

Mary stumbled slightly, her grip on the RA the only thing holding her up, as she grumbled, "Let's throw in a few elephant tranquilizers and then maybe my pain will go away."

Sighing, Liz kept from yelling after Missy again as she disappeared into the bathroom with the ailing girl, shutting the door behind her. Mary did need help after all, seeing as this was the first hangover the girl had experienced so she did not seem to know exactly how to deal with it. Glancing around, the brunette bit back a curse. Lydia and Kitty had left while she had been distracted. Liz turned to her last hope. Luckily, Jane had not left yet, but she was frowning uncomfortably.

"You won't leave as well, will you?" Liz pleaded, gripping her sister's sleeve.

Jane's frowned deepened, indecision warring within her eyes. Then, "Sorry, Liz, but Collin said he wanted to speak to you alone, I think I should respect that."

Shoulders drooping, Liz loosened her grip on her twin. "Fine, go if you must," she conceded unhappily. "At least you didn't give me a lame excuse like everyone else." The brown-haired sister made a shooing gesture with her hand. Jane was only doing as she felt right after all, even if it was for something as small as this. The blond rose and a dejected Liz watched her go. She then turned her gaze back to Collin, who still had the same smile plastered on his face. _No doubt he's not offended in the least by how obvious it is I don't want to be left alone with him. He's probably going to find some way to compliment me about it any moment._

"Ah, Lizzy, the many benevolent qualities you have never cease to amaze me." _Bingo. Here it comes._ "Your modesty is one of your greater aspects. Far from disfavoring you, it only makes you more beautiful in my eyes. It is so good of you to worry about the needs of your friends."

Liz grumbled beneath her breath, "It wasn't so much them as it was me that I was worried about." She did not know why yet, but she was getting a bad feeling about this conversation. She began to shovel her cereal into her mouth to avoid looking at him.

The greasy boy did not seem to hear her as he went on from the other side of the table, "Now, you must be wondering why I wanted to speak to you. You must know that you had captured my attention almost the moment I came to stay here. Your allure, grace, and wit drew me to you like a moth to a flame. It was not long before I knew I had to make you mine. And thus..." Collin paused to begin rummaging through the pocket of his ironed pants for something. Finding it, he pulled out a small box and placed it on the table in front of Liz, opening it before he drew his hand away. Inside was a sparkling, diamond ring that Liz stared at blankly for a second. "... I would like to ask for your hand in marriage."

The brunette choked on her spoon in surprise, bits of sugary flakes getting stuck in her throat and milk going down the wrong pipe. She began to cough and wheeze for air and was unable to respond, only stare at Collin with wide eyes.

Mistaking her reaction, the highschooler clasped his hands together happily. "I knew you would be overjoyed. Oh, I can't wait to spread the joyful new! But before we get ahead of ourselves, maybe I should tell you my reasons for seeking a wife. Firstly, I will be out in the real world soon, and I wanted to get all this messy business of dating and searching for a future mate behind me. Such distractions can hardly be productive for my education in law, especially when compared to a life of matrimony when one would have you for a wife. Secondly, studies have shown that a good marriage can greatly increase the happiness of each partner compared to those who choose to be single. Numbers don't lie. Thirdly, Mama has been insisting that I end my disorderly life as a bachelor and bring home a fiancИ. And you're everything she said I should look for: easy on the eyes, smart but not brilliant, common, not too-"

"_Please_ do not finish that sentence," Liz huffed, finally not gagging on her breakfast anymore. As her mind tried to make sense of everything he had said, she found herself muttering, "Messy business of dating? Numbers? Common? Collin, slow down for a bit, think about this for a second. Aren't you a little too young for mar-..." she could not bring herself to say it, still reeling in shock at the proposal. "... for a wife?" Even just saying that left a bad taste in her mouth.

Collin frowned, though not unhappily. It was more of confusion. "If you're worried about the age difference, I did turn eighteen a few months ago, so I'm no longer a minor. It's a perfectly legal marriage. Besides, we'll be engaged for probably at least a year, giving us more time to mature and-"

"Stop. That's not what I meant," the girl snapped, rising from her seat and firmly keeping her eye off the ring on the table before her and the very large diamond it bore. She then tried to reason with him, "Don't you think that eighteen in itself is just a little too early to be simply proposing at all? You still have your whole life ahead of you, and... and besides, we barely know each other."

He reached across the table, taking her hand in his in what seemed to be an attempt of reassurance. It only succeeded in turning Liz's stomach. "We may have only met a few weeks ago, but I feel as if I've known you all my life."

She snatched her hand out of his grasp, growling, "Ug, where do you come up with this crap? Do you have a book somewhere? That you memorize cheesy lines from in hopes of dazzling some brainless girl into loving you?"

Blinking at her uncertainly, he said, "No, no book. And I hardly think your brainless. I meant what I said."

_Of course I'm not brainless, otherwise I might fall for this idiocy,_ she thought. "Collin, don't kid yourself. Trust me when I say you could not make me happy and I am the last woman in the world who could ever make you happy."

He seemed flustered for a moment, and Liz believed she had gotten through to him. But then his features froze in thought and after a second, a slow smile spread across his face. "Ah, I know what's going on here. You're toying with me, playing hard to get, when you really just wish for me to keep pursuing you. Very well, I can go along with that." He began to walk around the table to join her on her side of it.

Fighting the urge to back away from him, she stood her ground and frowned unhappily down at him. "No, I am not _toying_ or any such thing with you. I mean it when I say that I believe your confused and that I could never accept you. Trust me, you just need to take the time to think this through a little more."

"Whatever you say, my love," he grinned, a look in his eye as if he had not heard a word she said.

"I am not your _love!_" Liz snapped, banging her fist on the table, bowls and mugs slightly leaping with the action. "Stop saying that, you're just doing whatever your 'Mama' wanted! You do not love me and if you stop all this now, in time you'll see that that's true."

"Ah, so it's a question of my affection to you? Then how can I prove my sincerity to you? Hmm... ah! I know!" He stepped in closer to her, quickly wrapping his arms around her waist, puckering up and attempting to kiss her.

Without pausing to think, she slapped him hard across the face, making a satisfying thwack sound.

Collin halted, but did not release his grip on her. Instead, he blinked and moved his lower jaw a bit to make sure it was still working. As the cheek she had smacked turned a deep shade of red in the shape of a hand, a slow determined smile spread across his face again. "Oh, spirited. I like that," he commented, then continued advancing his lips towards hers.

"Ack! No! No, stop... _stop_, you idiot!" She shouted, placing one hand against his chest and planting the other on his face, trying to push him away. Unfortunately, small and clumsy as the boy was, he was strong. Too strong for his own good. He backed her against the table, closing the distance by pulling her closer, despite the brunette's best attempts to get him off her. What was it going to take for him to get the message?

_This is not happening!_ her mind angrily stormed. She looked away from his lips, ever getting frighteningly closer, to look for something, anything to stop him. Her eyes fell on her still mostly full cereal bowl. It was the only thing in reach, and it was now or never.

The hand on Collin's chest dashed out and grabbed the bowl by its brim. Without the slightest hesitation, she quickly turned it upside down and slammed it on the boy's head. The bowl made a load thunk on contact with his skull, milk and soggy flakes gushing into his hair and down his face. _That_ stopped him in his tracks.

Again, he blinked, registering what had just happened to him. Then his entire face, not just his abused cheek, flushed crimson that contrasted nicely with the milk dripping down it. His features contorted into anger and the arms wrapped around Liz snapped back to be held firmly at his side. He scowled up at her, but the brunette was anything but scared. It was hard to be threatened, especially since the upturned bowl was still crowning his head. "Well. Things are perfectly clear now."

"What made you think they weren't before?" Liz asked with a roll of her eyes. Behind her, she heard the creak of a door opening and she would not have been surprised if she found Missy standing in the hallway now, a look of horror on her face. After all, she would not have been surprised if the RA had been listening the entire time. Liz almost would have been disappointed if she had not.

Collin seemed to not have heard her, for he did not answer her question. "I believe I have worn out my welcome here and will be taking my leave," he snarled. Again, Liz was not worried. In fact, she was trying to hold back a giggle.

"Please do. And next time you're on campus, feel free to _not_ stop by and visit." She made a shooing gesture with her hand. The greasy, black-haired boy harrumphed, snatched the neglected ring from the table and turned away, stomping his way to the front door.

She heard the loud thud of feet hitting the carpet behind her before Liz was pushed roughly aside as Missy ran after him. "Please, don't go, Collin!" She cried, flustered, waving her hands in the air and trying to stand in his way. "Liz is crazy and... and suffering from a cold and doesn't know what the hell she's talking about! Just be patient, she'll come around!" He ignored her, easily sidestepping her as he kept walking. Missy stayed persistently at his heels the entire way, trying to calm him down. She was ineffective however, as Collin was now at the door. Before he could reach the knob however, it was opened by the other side.

"Helloooo, I'm ho-" Luc started as he came in, the stopped abruptly at the sight of Collin - bowl, milk, cereal and all. He stared blankly for half a second, then bust out laughing. He, too, ignored Missy as she tried to hit him. "What happened to you?" he wheezed out in between snorts.

"_That_ happened to me," Collin growled, jabbing a finger in Liz's direction as she approached. She grinned sweetly.

Luc reflected her smile with one of his own. "Alright, nice going!" He complimented, putting a hand up for a high five. The brunette, of course, obliged him. If possible, Collin turned even more red and forced his way past the taller boy.

"How can you say that?" Missy snapped as Collin disappeared down the steps. "He's your _cousin!_"

He shrugged defensively. "It was _funny!_" Missy punched him again, landing it hard on the shoulder, then ran outside after Collin once more. Luc just shrugged and gave Liz the thumbs up, "Keep up the good work."

"I'll do my damnedest," she offered, then gave a half wave as he walked past her further into the apartment. She could not help noticing that she still had a huge smirk on her face. Man, that had felt good! The girl stepped outside to lean over the railing, looking down. Collin was marching away, to who-knew-where, still wearing the bowl. The red hair of the girl sticking closely to him and fussing over him clearly identified her as Missy. Liz wondered how long her housemate was going to chase him.

"What was that about?" came a familiar voice from behind her, and Liz's grin grew a little wider. "I come here to see if you wanted catch some lunch before classes, and nearly get run over by Collin and Missy. What was with the cereal? Some sort of new fashion statement?"

The brunette turned to greet Charlotte with a nod, resting her elbows behind her on the rail. "Yeah, one I kind of forced on him."

The curly haired girl's lips formed a silent "o", then she laughed. "You didn't. I know you really didn't like him, but what'd he do to deserve that?"

"Proposed to me, and wouldn't take no for an answer," she responded blandly, as if this was an everyday occurrence. Charlotte raised an eyebrow in mild disbelief. "Then he tried to force himself on me, and wouldn't take no for an answer there either. So I just made him an offer he couldn't refuse." The hazel-eyed girl's grin grew decidedly more wicked.

"Wow, really?" her friend gasped, then bent over the rail with her, attempting to catch a glimpse of the boy they spoke of. "Who knew the little guy had it in him?"

With a shrug, Liz answered, "Certainly not me. Though I wish he hadn't had it in him."

"Where do you suppose he's off to now?"

"No clue. He's not supposed to be heading home for a few more days, but maybe he'll call his 'dearest Mama' to see if he can catch a trip home early or something."

Charlotte shook her head. "Not going to happen. His Mom's out of town on work this week and she gave their chauffeur the time off."

_They have a chauffeur?_ Liz wondered idly. _Well, duh, they're rich._ "Hmmmm, then I don't know what he'll do." The brunette felt the first pangs of guilt now, but they were small. Still, it was enough for her to ask, "Know anyone with some room to spare at their place for a few days?"

"Sure, he can stay with me," the taller girl said easily.

It was Liz's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Really? I mean, I know you said you didn't mind him last night. But I'm sure that'll change if you force yourself to spend a few days with him."

Her friend chuckled. "Really, I don't mind. I'm going to hunt him down now before he gets lost or something." Charlotte began to walk down the stairs at a brisk jog.

"Okay, if you think you have to. Don't come complaining to me when you get sick of the nut job," Liz called after Charlotte. The smoky-haired girl did not look back or respond, just waved a hand goodbye. Liz turned again to watch Charlotte's exit down the walkway, resting her chin in her hand. _She's crazy. But still... I have to thank her later. Probably less likely to get an angry call from his mother later or something this way._ Her eyes wandered from her friend's back and began to roam the courtyard lazily. They came to a sudden stop and widened.

There was George. George with another girl. With his _arm_ around another girl.

Liz was no longer in such a good mood.

* * *

In times of depression, Liz always found that blood rushing to her head combined with large amounts of sugar provided a very nice, if not permanent, pick-me-up. And it was thus that as the sun set outside the living room window that she found herself eating out of a large carton of ice cream while lying on the couch upside down, with the tip of her head brushing the rug and her feet hanging over the backrest. It was quite a trick, learning to eat ice cream upside down, but she had mastered the technique over several years. She had the TV on before her with some old, black and white show on, she was not really sure which one. She was not paying attention after all, only staring blankly at the motion on the screen as she ate. There had been classes that she should have gone to that day, but she had skipped every single last one of them.

She was not even exactly sure why she was so down in the dumps. She was never really even dating George. She had only hung out with him a couple of times and, sure, they had flirted, but that hardly meant anything now-a-days. After all, what had she expected? But still, somehow she felt... abandoned. Liz had been looking forward to seeing him at the party the night before, but he had not shown up. He had not called her, just left a mostly made up story with one of his friends. And here today, after still not talking to her, he had walked by directly in front of her apartment, one arm wrapped around the shoulders of another girl.

Stabbing her spoon into the carton once more, she sighed. Her love life was looking seriously crappy lately. First the whole episode with Collin this morning, now this thing - that was not even really a thing, if that made any sense - with George. What was she doing wrong? Did she give off some sort of signal that attracted creepy nerds and repelled the more interesting guys? She sighed again. In her opinion, she was being too dramatic about this whole damn situation. She really had to stop moping. She paused for a moment, then thought, _Tomorrow... tomorrow I will stop moping._ Taking another scoop of ice cream into her mouth, she added sarcastically, _I'm just having too much fun to quit now._

Liz was knocked out of her thoughts by a loud bang as the front door slammed open. She swiveled her head around to see Lydia storm in, tears streaming down her face and a look in her eye that said she was going to hurt someone - or had _already_ hurt someone and was looking for more blood.

As her apartment mate angrily marched into the kitchen, she tossed her shoulder-bag roughly into the living room without looking and it almost landed squarely on Liz's face. The brunette twitched in surprise, then turned herself right side up to sit properly in the couch to watch Lydia. The other girl had opened the freezer and was rummaging through its contents and grumbling quietly to herself. Liz attempted to ask innocently - though it came out more meekly, "How ya doing, Lydia?"

She snapped her head around in surprise, but still with a dangerous glint in her eye, like a cornered wild animal. Then recognition dawned on her face. As she returned to tossing stuff around in the freezer, she answered huffily, "Hi, Liz. I didn't see you there."

Well, that was rather strange. Seeing as how all the lights in the living room had been on, the TV had been quite loud, and Liz had been very blatantly sprawled across the sofa. If none of Lydia's other symptoms had been a sign, how oblivious she was to the world around her now was. Allowing a second to pass, Liz asked, "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter? Nothing's the matter, nothing at all!" Lydia hissed. She then slammed the freezer door shut with a loud bang, nothing in hand, and whirled around to face Liz. "Wait, I take that back. There _is_ something the matter. Where the hell is all the ice cream?"

The brunette timidly held up the half eaten carton of chocolate chip mint she had been working on. Lydia glowered then stomped over to sit - none too gently - on the cushion next to her, jerking the ice cream from her hands. _She probably needs it more than me anyway,_ Liz shrugged, watching her housemate dig in. Deciding whatever was wrong was still a touchy subject to only be attempted at her own risk, instead she looked at the time and asked, "Hey... don't you have class right now?"

Lydia snapped her head up and a cold, cruel smile spread across her tear stained face. "Funny... that's exactly what _he_said."

Wishing Kitty was here since she probably knew how to handle Lydia and her moods better, Liz nervously patted the other girl on the knee. _Well... since she brought it up... maybe it'll be okay..._ she reasoned. She carefully asked, "That's exactly what who said about what?"

The other girl's eyes flashed dangerously again, causing Liz to flinch. However, it died away as Lydia sighed and blankly stared at a fresh spoonful of ice cream. Her tone still had an edge to it as she answered, "Well, I guess I'll tell you. Even though it's really none of your business." _The way you keep flaunting your anger about kind of forces it to be everyone's business,_ Liz mused, but kept her comment to herself. "My Mexican Politics class got canceled today because the lecturer could not make it and could not find a substitute speaker on short notice. Something about an emergency and the hospital, or some junk like that."

"Well, that's good. I mean, for you... not so much for the guy who had to go to the hospital," Liz pointed out.

Lydia shrugged. "That's what I thought. I thought, like, 'Yay! I can go surprise Denny and spend the rest of the evening with him! Won't he be so happy to see me?'" She sighed again, becoming a little more mellow. "But, you see, he was already happy - _really_ happy - before I got there. And it certainly wasn't _me_ making him happy, that is unless, there's two of me running around..." She paused for a second, then added, "And the other one of me is an ugly slut."

Covering her mouth with both her hands, Liz said, "Oh no. He was with another girl?"

"No duh, he was with another girl," Lydia attempted to snarl, but she had been losing her steam as she spoke, and it was all but gone now. Tears were beginning for reform in her eyes as she sniffled. "I just don't understand. I thought we were happy. I thought this one would last a while."

Liz rubbed the other girl's shoulder, more worried than afraid now. She was not used to see her normally loud and upbeat friend reduced to sobbing. "I'm sorry, but... forgive me for asking, but don't you do this to guys all the time? I know it can't feel that great, but I don't know... this just seems like something you would shake off." She attempted a teasing smile, "Well, first you'd punch the guy then yank out the girl's hair _then_ shake it off."

She neither smiled nor looked offended, just continued to impassively stare at the ice cream. She had not taken a bite in a while. "But... I thought this one was going to be different. I really liked Denny, and I thought he really liked me. Guess not." She was silent for a second, then asked dejectedly, "Is something wrong with me?"

"No! No, of course not," Liz said quickly, getting more anxious by the moment. "I think you just need to slow down. Probably not date too many guys at once, pick one and make him _the_ one. And let him know that you're serious about it, so he better be too."

"I suppose..." came Lydia's reply. She tilted her head to one side as she thought for a moment, her big hoop earrings slightly swaying with the motion. "Yeah, maybe. I'm going to be more picky from now on. And the next guy I choose, I'm going to commit to and he better damn well commit back." She seemed to have perked up a little bit, but then slumped back into the cushions. "But not now, or anytime soon. I need a break from boys."

Smiling, Liz leaned back into her seat as well. She doubted her housemate would actually wait all that long, but did not say anything. For now, she was just was going to hang out with Lydia and enjoy the rest of the night - which was now not looking so bad by comparison. "Sure thing. Take all the time you need."

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Hi, long time no see everyone! Sorry about that, as some of you may know I'm in college at the moment, computer science major, and the courses just got really busy and hectic this quarter. The quarter is still going, but I only have two weeks left and the first one promises to be the more work filled of the two, so that's semi good. So yeah, just been too busy to update, but that'll be over soon. Plus, just been kinda bleh lately, so I wasn't really that motivated. Hopefully that'll be better soon too!

As for this chapter, its actually been written for a while, I just never had the time to edit it and check for spelling errors. Finally got around to that last night, so yay, here it is! Hope you enjoyed it, even tho there was no Will. Don't worry tho, several of the next chapters have a lot of Will in them, trust me. I mean, come on, the Rosings Park chapters are coming up, and I plan to make those lots of fun! Hope you guys don't have to wait too long, what with summer and free time for me coming up. Just keep your fingers crossed!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Liz's sneakers skidded across the pavement as she made a sharp turn around a corner and picked up speed running again. Students walking in the campus's courtyard had to jump to the side as she dashed passed them, not so much as an 'excuse me' coming from her as she nearly knocked one over. She was late. How could she be late? It was only supposed to have been one little nap. One short, half an hour nap after a really long day. Of course, she had forgotten to set her alarm, and so said nap had turned into a three hour snooze fest. She was just glad that she had finally woken up when she did.

Checking her watch, Liz grimaced. She was only ten minutes late for the study group. That was not too bad, was it? They were probably setting everything up still anyway. Yeah, these things always started late. At least, she hoped they did. Brushing around one last corner, the classroom came into sight. Liz pumped one last sprint out of her legs and flung the door open in one smooth motion.

"... and you'll find that table on page 357. Now, I'd like everyone to take a minute t-" the young, curly haired woman at the front of the room, supposedly the teaching assistant in charge of this group, got cut off as Liz came bursting in. She came to an abrupt stop in front of the chalkboard, huffing and panting from her run and glancing around in confusion. All the students stared at her blankly and the TA, once over her initial shock, did not look amused in the slightest.

Liz bit her lower lip as she took a second to think. _Damn, not good. Why do they have to put the doors in the front of the class? Why not in the back, where it would be so much easier to sneak in. Not that I just made the sneakiest of entrances, but still. Well, maybe if I just casually take a seat as if nothing is out of the ordinary, things will get back to normal._ Grinning sheepishly, Liz put her hands in her pockets and was about slowly, quietly walk over to a desk when she was forced to stop abruptly again, this time from shock.

There, sitting in the front row of the classroom of students, was Will. He had an elbow on his desk and was resting his chin against his hand, staring at her with a raised eyebrow. Liz stifled a growl. _What's he doing here? Of all the sections on all the days being held this week, he had to come to this one? I bet he doesn't even need to be here, probably gets more A's in one quarter than I've seen my entire school career._ She felt a scowl forming on her face, but then stopped it with a shake of her head. _Oh, stop it. You're not supposed to be getting angry at this guy anymore, remember? Even if he did-_

"Will you _please_ take your seat?" the curly haired TA huffed loudly, making Liz jump slightly. She turned as the woman added, "Sometime today, thanks."

Scratching the back of her head, Liz muttered, "Sorry." She then pushed her way in between desks to get to a seat in the back of the room and settled there with a sigh as the teaching assistant continued her lecture. Well, so far, so bad.

Maybe if Liz had been attending these all quarter, she could have avoided that little embarrassing moment just then. But she had thought she would do fine without them, even if it was that confusing math class she was taking with Jane. However, her grade on the class's midterm had been a wakeup call. Sure, she had no doubt she would still pass the course with that grade, but it was hardly a grade worth bragging about. Especially when compared to her sister, who had aced the midterm. This simply would not do, her grade needed to come up.

And so, in the following weeks after the midterm, Liz had started studying even more seriously than before. She had started reading the math text book more closely, highlighting the more important parts. She had started doing extra problems beyond what the homework asked for, just to make sure she understood everything. And she had begun pestering Jane more to study with her, which Liz felt was helping her the most. Unfortunately, her sister was not free at all hours of the day, much to Liz's dismay. Jane did still have a life, one that mostly involved dates with Charlie. It was on such nights that Liz had to find help elsewhere. This was one of those nights, and that was why the girl now found herself in this classroom, digging out a pencil and fresh paper to take notes with.

The woman at the head of the class began to shuffle through her bag, producing a stack of papers. "Now, let's see how up to date on the material everyone is, shall we? Here I have a list of questions for you all to go through and answer. You may use the book and your notes, but try to see how many you can figure out on your own first. You may also partner up on these questions, in fact, I encourage it." With that, she flopped the stack onto the front table and gestured for the students to have at it.

The class immediately seized on this opportunity to start talking, some students in their seats, others as they went to the front to grab a study sheet. Liz just sat there staring unhappily off into space. She had come here to have the answers given to her, not be forced to look for them through the book - which she had not even brought. If she really had wanted to do that, she could have just stayed home and studied on her own. _And forget about getting a partner,_ she thought resignedly as she looked around. Pretty much everyone looked paired off already. _Oh well, I guess I'll see how many I can do. I can at least hope for answers at the end._

As Liz rose out of her chair, an unfamiliar voice spoke up from behind her, "Hey there."

She turned to be greeted by the grinning face of one of her classmates. Liz thought he looked vaguely familiar, but she was not quite sure. All the college boys were beginning to look alike to her. She managed an uncertain half grin and responded, "Hi."

The boy leaned against one of the desks, eyeing her up and down as he did so. Then he grinned a little wider. "How about sometime you and I go out for some coffee..." This would have made Liz smile, if he had stopped there. This would have been the first random guy to ask her out all quarter, and it would have been kind of flattering. However, he continued, "...or perhaps a snort of coke." Oh yeah, real classy.

It took a moment for the last part to register in Liz's mind. She blinked, then took a step back, shaking her head. "That's okay, I think I'll pass, thanks anyway."

"Aww, come on now, I think I could show a cutie like you a good time."

_Like that's going to convince me,_ Liz thought sarcastically. "Not interested, sorry." As she began to turn, the guy grabbed her arm. It was not hard, but it was enough to halt her movement. She turned to face him again, narrowing her eyes.

He just continued grinning at her, though it seemed a little less smooth now. "Don't be that way. Just name a night you're free."

"Why don't you name a night. Any night. I'll be busy during it. _Always_." She tried to yank her arm back, but his grip remained firm. "Let go."

"Not until I at least get a number, or an- OUCH!" he cut off with a yelp. His hand had been removed from her arm and was now being twisted into an uncomfortable position by someone else's hand.

Liz breathed a confused, "Eh?" at not only this new turn of events, but also because now she felt something - no, someone - at her back. She looked up to see Will standing closely behind her, frowning at her would-be suitor. She also saw his arm going over her shoulder and her eyes followed it to find that he was the one bending the other guy's arm into its now agonizing looking state.

"I believe she told you she wasn't interested," Will stated coldly. The other student just gave a pained wince in response. Will released him with a soft harrumph. "Now if you'll excuse us, my partner and I have some work to do."

The boy shook his abused hand a couple times as he retreated back to a group of his friends. Snickering could be heard from that bunch and he let out a groaned, "Shaddup," in response.

Turning her attention back to Will, Liz saw that he had taken a seat in a desk next to her and was scribbling something down onto the TA's handout. She slowly sat down back in her own desk, unsure of what to do next. She knew she should be grateful and at least say thanks in return. However, something in her could just not bring herself to utter that one, simple little word of gratitude. Instead, the first thing to come out of her mouth was a muttered, "I didn't need your help."

"Sure you didn't," he replied softly. He did not even look up at her, just continued to write.

Liz's lip twitched in annoyance. Was he patronizing her? "Really, I had it all under control."

"Of course you did."

"I did. I know how to take care of myself."

"I'm sure all creeps out there who don't take no for an answer fear you far and wide." Oh, he was. He _had_ to be patronizing her. Before Liz could retort however, he handed her one of the printouts. "You ready to work on question one?"

Giving a bemused stare at the sheet of paper, Liz asked, "What? You mean you were serious about this whole partner thing?" He said nothing in response, just continued to hold out the paper. With a shrug, the girl took it and said, "Um, okay, whatever."

She bent over the sheet, twirling a lock of brown hair as she read over the first problem. She reread it a second and third time, tapping her chin thoughtfully. She then took the time to glance up at Will, who was looking at her expectantly. Liz cleared her throat and took in a deep breath as if her next words were going to be very important, then declared, "I haven't the foggiest."

Will was silent for a moment before he asked, "You don't have any idea how to answer it?"

"None whatsoever," she replied rather cheerily.

Leaning back in his seat, he mused, "You haven't even done the reading, have you?"

"I did too! And I read it all very... very _well_, thank you. There was nothing in it about this logic junk."

"Check again."

Crossing her arms, Liz snapped, "I would, just to prove you wrong, but I don't have my book."

Will swept a few bangs out of his eyes to raise an eyebrow at her. "You don't? But you're always supposed to bring you book to these things."

"Well, I didn't know that. This is my first time here."

He sighed. "Well, I have my book, but in the interest of saving time, I'll just show you the notes I took. But in the future, come more prepared."

As Will tossed a black binder on her desk, Liz snorted. "Look, pal, I didn't come here to get lectured." At the look he gave her, she hastily corrected herself, "I mean, not lectured on my study habits and not by _you_."

The blonde boy just shrugged and went back to reading the questions. With a sigh, Liz turned her attention to the binder he had given her. What she found when she opened it was enough to put her own notes to shame. Everything was written in perfectly clean and concise handwriting in different colors of ink to stress the import of certain lines over others. There were even some underlines here and some highlights there. All going through several sheets of binder paper that were so smooth, straight, and rigid, that Liz almost did not want to flip through them for fear of folding one the wrong way or ripping one. It was enough to cause her to wonder when thinking back to her own notes. The professor talked so damn fast, Liz could barely read her own writing when she was done. How did Will keep everything so gosh darn perfect in his notes? She mumbled under her breath, "Almost surprised they're not laminated."

"What was that?" Will questioned.

"Hm? Oh, nothing... just noticing how neat your notes were."

He responded as he began to write on the printout again, "Ah, yes... I suppose that wouldn't be something you're used to."

_Huh?_ She shot him a glare out of the corner of her eyes as she hissed, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Taking a pause in writing, he glanced up to give her a puzzled look. "Nothing, I just-"

"Yeah right, you think I'm a slob!" Never mind that she actually was. But for Will to think so, or even imply such, well... that just was not done!

"I didn't mean to-"

"And just who are you to think you're all high and mighty just because your notes are slightly prettier than mine, huh? Well, you know what I think about your notes, mister?" Liz roughly grabbed a large handful of sheets from his binder and ripped them from the rings. "I think they'd make _fantastic_ confetti!" With that, she tore them in half and threw them in the air, some bits landing on the heads of nearby students who had stopped to gawk at the display.

Will did nothing but stare at her in surprise. At least, she assumed it was surprise. That boy really needed to work on his facial expressions, they all looked the same. Never the less, Liz felt a morbid sense of satisfaction from the whole thing. So much for being nicer to Will.

Feeling her work here was done, Liz grabbed her bag and quickly exited from the now completely silent room. She did not look back, knowing that she had left with every single eye on her. Well, she certainly was not going to be coming back to this section. Liz just hoped this was not going to reflect poorly on her grade.

* * *

"I then shred his papers to ribbons, threw them up in the air, and stormed out," Liz finished her story with a groan, slumping down into her chair.

"No way, you're messing with me, right?" Charlotte laughed from across the table. But Liz's blush was the only answer she needed. "Wow, you really lost it, didn't you?"

Liz gave a sheepish nod as she absentmindedly began to poke her half eaten taquitos with a plastic fork. She and Charlotte sat in one of the many cafés that littered the UCSC campus. After the disastrous exit she had made from the classroom, Liz had accidentally run into her friend who, on seeing Liz's distress, had asked if she wanted to get a bite to eat somewhere. They ended up going to the closest place for a snack, a cheery little place by the name of The Hungry Slug. There, Liz had recounted the whole thing, getting more and more embarrassed by her behavior with each word.

Taking a moment to give her soda a contemplative sip, Charlotte said, "You really gotta lighten up on that boy, ya know? I mean, it's not like he's going to be winning any personality awards himself anytime soon, but you have to give people a break sometimes."

"I know, I know," Liz grumbled. "I didn't mean to do that, it just kind of came out. I was actually trying to be nice."

With a soft chuckle, her friend declared, "If that's you being nice, Miss Eliza, then remind me never to get on your bad side."

That brought a small smile to Liz's face. "I mean I had planned on trying to be nicer to him. Clearly, it didn't work out."

"Clearly," she agreed. "Just what is it about Will that makes you go all mad, psycho lady anyway?"

"I don't know! I've never acted this way around anyone before!" She received a look from Charlotte was that quite clearly disbelief. "I'm serious! I mean, I've met people in the past that I really disliked, but usually I can keep my temper around them. But then there's Will, and... and I don't know. He just really pisses me off."

Pursing her lips, Charlotte looked thoughtful once more. Then a sly look crossed her features and she shot Liz a particularly wicked grin. "I bet I know what it is."

Not sure she wanted to find out what the other girl was thinking, Liz hesitated. "What?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're in love!"

The taquito Liz was currently prodding her fork at exploded in half with the sudden force of her surprised jab. As her cheeks flushed a bright red, she stuttered, "Wha...? That's... no, I'm... you can't- I am most certainly _not_ in love!"

"Oh, come on, Lizzy, you so are!" Charlotte exclaimed, smirking broadly. "There's no need to be shy about it. I think it's adorable. It's kind of like kindergarten love. Yeah, this is the social equivalent of you pushing your crush into the mud."

"You're crazy. I'll tell you what this is, this is the social equivalent of me _hating_ him."

"Mmhmm, or you hating that you love him."

"More like I love to hate him," she huffed back.

Charlotte shrugged. "If you say so."

A moment of silence passed between the girls, with Liz glaring at her friend, who continued to keep that self same frustratingly sly smile on her face. Finally, Liz growled, "I don't love him."

"I didn't say anything."

"I _don't!_" She slammed a fist on the table to emphasize the point. Charlotte was unfazed. Rolling her eyes, Liz asked more calmly, "Can we just change the subject, please? What about you? What's new in your life? There's has to be something, we haven't seen each other in a few weeks." Long class sessions and many busy study hours had kept the two apart. When they rarely had gotten the chance to talk, it was more often than not a phone conversation that lasted no longer than a few minutes.

The smile slowly fled from Charlotte's face to be replaced by an unsure frown. She looked down at her hands, one clasped over the other on the table. It seemed like she was mentally trying to come to some sort of decision. Liz just looked on, mildly bewildered, and waited patiently for her friend to speak up. It was plain to see that she had something to say and it, whatever it was, was big.

At last, the chocolate-haired girl looked up once more with a sigh. "Well, see for yourself." She lifted the one hand that was covering the other and something sparkled, causing Liz to lean forward. There was a ring on her finger.

"You bought a new ring?" Okay, so what was the big deal? And why had she not noticed it before? Had Charlotte been covering it this entire time? Why would she do that? Then, Liz realized something and she leaned even further in. It was a diamond ring... on her left ring finger. More over, Liz was certain she had seen this ring before and not too long ago. She once again met the other girl's gaze. " Charlotte, what is this?"

She chewed on her lower lip for a second before mumbling, "You know what it is."

"I hope it's not what I think it is." But the slight pink that began to color Charlottes cheeks only confirmed that it was. "But... you're not... you can't be, not with Collin!"

"I can be, and I am," she stated simply.

A whole lot of things ran through Liz's head at once, most of which was incomprehensible, even to herself. The one thing that managed to get out was a high pitched, "How?"

"I already told you that I kind of liked him, I thought he was an okay guy. And while he was staying at my apartment, we just got a little... closer."

Liz could not believe what she was hearing. "Close enough for him to propose after staying there for what I'm assuming was only a week? Close enough for you to accept when you only think of him as an 'okay guy'?"

Twisting the engagement band nervously, Charlotte corrected, "To be fair, he stayed for a week and a day."

"Oh, forgive me then! I didn't realize you had that whole extra day in there. You two must be absolutely in love then!"

"Don't be that way," Charlotte pleaded in a hushed tone. Something in her voice caused a bit of Liz's anger to ebb away. "True, we may not be in love. But you have to understand, Liz, I'm not one of those people that needs to be in love. I just need to be... content in my life, even if it has nothing to do with love. I think I could be... quite content with Collin."

Liz scowled down at her leftovers. "You mean, quite content with his money." She looked up at Charlotte again, who said nothing, just pouted slightly. "Sorry. It's just... it's Collin."

The sophomore grinned again, though it was a sad grin. "Well, it's not like we're hopping a ride to Vegas and getting hitched over night. We'll probably be planning this for a couple years. Who knows, maybe he'll only improve over time."

"We can only hope. I can't imagine him getting worse, and I'm glad for it."

"All I know is, I'll be happy." Liz shot her a look that purely said, 'yeah right.' "Well, I'll be happy enough. This is a great opportunity, and I doubt I'll see another one like it. I have to take it. I hope you understand."

"Not really," Liz said stubbornly. But then in a more soften toned, "but I guess I can a little. As long as this is what you really want to do, I... well, I won't say I'm thrilled, but I'll support you." She managed a weak smirk.

Charlotte beamed. "Thank you. Friends still, right?"

"Of course. Always."

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Woohoo, another chapter done! I wasn't sure if I was gonna put the study session with Will in, but I decided to just go with it cause we didn't see him last chapter at all. Besides, I just do so love making those two bicker! Incidently, I have had that coke pick-up line used on me before, though the guy took being rejected a lot more gracefully, heh.

Anyway, its summer break for me now, so I have time, wheeee! Be on the look out for not only more chapters from me soon, but chapters jam packed with Will. After all, Rosing Parks is not too far off now. Anyhoo, I should be posting chapters more frequently, probably not as fast as when I have them all written up before hand, but you shouldn't be waiting for months in between each on anymore either. Here's hoping!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: OMG! Could it be? Dost my eyes deceive me? No! It's the next chapter! Hooray! Read on, my faithful fans!

* * *

Chapter 14

The final weeks of the quarter trudged by, a chill floating on the breeze as winter began to settle in. For the most part, the days were uneventful, even predictable. Jane still talked constantly of Charlie, though to a slightly lessened degree - only slightly - what with finals coming up. The subject of Charlie was never far from Missy's mind either, which was made apparent by the fact that she hummed the Wedding March every time Jane entered the room. Jane would often turn and leave quickly, blushing delicately from head to toe. As for Charlotte, she - not surprisingly - spoke of nothing other than her own engagement. The idea still unsettled Liz, but she learned to accept it and even be supportive of her friend, just as Charlotte learned to politely ignore Liz's grimaces whenever the subject was first brought up.

It was Mary, however, that provided the most excitement. Ever since she had gotten over her hangover from the Halloween party, the girl had taken to locking herself alone in her room, even more so than she had done before. All that could be heard by her housemates from the other side of the door was either her playing - quite furiously - at her guitar or complete silence. They worried about her of course, but did not know what to do for her other than give her time.

Then one day, on the Monday of pre-finals week, the loud bang of Mary's door bursting open could be heard. It was closely followed by the sound of her feet as she marched into the living room, where everyone happened to be, looking up from whatever they were doing to stare at her quizzically. Her eyes had a determined gleam to them, as if she were about to announce something and she dared anyone to oppose her. And announce something she did. "I am going to perform in public!"

Silence followed, with an exchanging of looks among everyone. Lydia was the first to speak, muttering, "But Mary... you and public don't seem to get along..."

Mary just shot her a glare, not a very intimidating one, being that it was Mary. But it got the point across none the less. Nothing and no one would stop this girl. In the conversation that followed, it was made clear that Mary wanted to erase the horrible events of Halloween night not only from her mind, but everyone else's as well. And she planned to do that by playing her guitar in public, hopefully presenting a much better performance than her drunken previous one.

The week that followed went by quickly, with never a moment to spare for relaxation among anyone. It was filled with classes coming to an end, preparation for finals and, almost most importantly of all, preparations for Mary's fresh debut. It seemed she would not be persuaded to put it off until there was more time available; she wanted to perform soberly and she wanted to do it as soon as possible. When she was not studying, she was choosing and rejecting which songs she wanted to sing and play on her guitar - both ones of her own and covers - as well as practicing through the night until the first light of dawn. She made her apartment mates help her where they could, ranging from having them sit and listen to her play to helping her decide what she would wear the night of her performance. Kitty and Lydia took more interest in the latter - probably even more so than Mary herself - going beyond mere clothing to specific hairstyles and precise shades of lipstick. Liz chuckled to herself, betting that Mary had received more that she bargained for in that area, but Mary took it all with a patient smile. Well, barring that one time she chased the two out of her bedroom, throwing eye liner and bottles of nail polish after them.

The big night came all too soon the Tuesday of the week immediately following her announcement. Why Tuesday? One, it was the soonest she had free time to do so, what with Monday being a heavy testing day. And two, why not? True, this was the week of final exams, and the girls worried that there would be no audience for Mary to perform to. However, students still had to study throughout the week, and when doing so, not all of them holed up in their dorm rooms. Quite a few would find a nearby bookstore, cafe, park or the like to do their work in. It was in one such place that Mary had chosen to start her musical career anew in - a little coffee shop in downtown Santa Cruz by the name of Bad Ass Coffee. Mary had talked to the owner over the weekend, who had agreed to let her play whenever she was available.

When her moment finally arrived, it had been obvious that Mary was nervous. However, she was not going to back out now, not after coming this far. The thought had never crossed her mind. With a steady hand on her guitar, she had taken a seat on the stool allotted to her in the corner of the room. She had settled her guitar in her lap, cleared her throat, and began to play. And she had been wonderful.

_That is if the roaring applause and cries of 'encore' were any indication, _Liz mused with a soft smile. _That crowd may have been small, but they sure were a lively bunch._

It was now well after the show. In fact, it had been long enough since it ended that Liz had had plenty of time to get back on campus and study for a few hours for the next day's exam. She would have worked longer, but she was in the same room and Jane and Charlie, who claimed to be studying as well. _More like being lovey-dovey and playing footsy,_ Liz thought with a wry snort. It had not taken long for her to become mildly disgusted, so she had left, claiming the need for fresh air.

Liz had not wandered for long. She had only gotten as far as the bridge behind the apartment that spanned a small, but somewhat deep forested valley - one of the many on the beautiful grounds of the university. At the far end of the bridge, she had decided to stop and rest her elbows on the railing. There, she now reflected on Mary's show as she watched the wind blow through the trees and the sky darken. It was relaxing, with her only regret being that she had forgotten to bring a jacket. Her body shivered slightly from the cold in reprimand.

Her smile did not fade though. Nothing could dampen her good mood, what with Christmas break only being a few days off and Mary's success. The musician was even planning on having more shows starting next quarter. _Things just keep getting better and better. Heck, I haven't even seen Will since that horrible study session, and that's good news all on its own. With luck, I'll never-_

"Elizabeth? What are you doing here?"

She stiffened on recognizing the voice, then hunched forward, her head hanging between her shoulders, and gave out an annoyed groaned._Speak of the devil..._ She turned, her lips a tight line, to see none other than Will himself. He was as sharply tall as ever, emphasized by the long black coat he wore against the cold.

With false brightness, she replied, "Well hello, Will! How are you? I'm fine thanks, nice weather we're having. What am _I_ doing here, you ask? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question? Considering you aren't the one who lives on campus."

He studied her for a few silent seconds, then said, "I told Charlie I would give him a ride home tonight. This is the time we agreed I would come pick him up." He glanced at his watch as he spoke, then looked at her expectantly. Liz assumed he still wanted an answer.

She shrugged, then mumbled, "Not that it's any of your business, but I was just out for a walk. I'm still allowed to do that, right?" The last part came out a bit too icily.

Will shook his head. "I misspoke. I meant to ask what are you doing here at this time of night?"

Liz raised an eyebrow at him. The sun had not even completely set, it was not night yet as far as she was concerned. "Eh? What time is it? Do I have a curfew I didn't know about?"

"No," he answered coolly, "but it's getting dark. And men wonder around after dark. Men who'll... take advantage of girls who are still out, alone."

Biting her lower lip to keep from laughing, Liz cocked an eyebrow at him. _That's what he was going on about? He can't be serious!_ But his rigid posture and stony features said otherwise. And when had she ever known Will to joke?

A sly grin then slowly spread across her face, and she pushed away from the railing, slowly walking towards Will. "Men, you say? Men who'll take advantage of a poor, sweet innocent girl like me? Dark men, evil men, perverted men... Men who prowl around at night, hiding in shadows, waiting for a chance to strike..." She now stood directly in front of Will, barely inches between them. He stared down at her, his confusion plain to see, for he was not sure exactly where she was going with this. She then stood on the tips of her toes, so she could see eye to eye with him. "Men like..." her voice barely above a whisper, she paused long enough to lightly jab a finger into his chest, "...you?"

"What? No, of course not!" He half jumped, have stumbled back from her, indignant and his face burning several different shades of red.

When Liz could not hold back her laughter this time, his face only burned brighter. "Oh relax, Will. I know you, of all people, are the least I have to fear. As for other 'prowlers', oh come on, I'm on campus, how dangerous could it be? Besides, I can take care of myself."

He was beginning to recover, his face slowly regaining its normal color. "Campus or not, it still happens. It would be better if you returned home."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. She stretched her arms over her head, her shoulders popping in protest, as she responded indifferently, "I guess I'll head back then. I was getting ready to go anyway."

"I'll walk you," Will said softly as she turned to leave. The dull thud of his boots could be heard on the planks of the bridge as he followed behind her. "You shouldn't go alone, and we're going to the same place anyway."

Taking a deep, steadying breath, she grumbled, "Fine, whatever.

Liz set the pace for them, walking quickly back towards the apartment. The sooner she got back, the sooner they would part company. She also tried to set the pace for any conversation by keeping quiet. The less talking, the better. However, she found it hard to keep silent when Will said, "You look cold," followed by his jacket landing heavily on her shoulders. She staggered forward in surprise.

Glancing down at herself, it was obvious the thing was far too big for her. The sleeves fell well past her thighs and several inches of the hem dragged on the ground behind her. Attempting to shrug it off so she could give it back to him, she said, "I don't need this. I'm fine, really."

Will shoved his hands into his pockets. "I saw you tremble from the breeze. Just keep it until we get back." It was more of a command, however casually given, than a suggestion.

Shaking her head, Liz gave in. It was pointless to argue. What did she have to prove anyway by refusing? Just because she did not like him or what he did in the past, did not mean that Will had cooties or anything. "If you insist," she muttered. She had to admit that it was much warmer inside the coat. She wrapped it closer around herself unconsciously.

The rest of the short walk was accomplished in silence. As the two climbed up the stairs to her apartment, Liz took care not to trip over the edges of the coat. Now standing before the front of the door, with Will waiting patiently behind, she began to rummage through her pockets for her key, a task not easily accomplished.

"I can't believe how much junk I keep in my pockets," Liz stated, more to herself than to Will, though she spoke over her shoulder. "Pens, pencils, receipts... notes to myself... flowers... paperclips, anything shiny... it's a wonder I don't try to stuff my laptop down in one. And your bulky coat keeps getting in the way. I can't believe I find anyth- aha!" She grinned in triumph and whirled around to present the key. "Here it-" She cut herself off, her smile slowly fading.

Will was staring at her, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes bore into her, making her uncomfortable. It was like the several times she swore she saw him watching her in class, except he always looked away when she noticed. This time, he was definitely not looking away. Resisting the urge to squirm, she asked, "What is it? Something in my teeth?"

He did not respond, and a few more tense seconds passed between them. Suddenly, he took a step towards her, looming over her. Instinctively and quickly, she backed away, bumping roughly into the door. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was not exactly sure why. She had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that Will was closing the distance between them. Then...

Abruptly, the door Liz had her back pressed against was gone, and she was falling backwards. She flailed her arms about wildly, but that failed to save her from landing hard on the rug of her living room. Dazed, she looked up through squinting eyes. Kitty and Lydia were standing above her, the latter holding the door open and grinning wickedly.

"Have a nice trip, Liz?" She asked cheekily, and Kitty giggled behind her, smothering her mouth with her hand.

Blinking as she regained her senses, Liz realized Will was offering her a hand to help her up. Angrily, she swatted it away and stood up on her own, rounding on her two apartment mates. "Don't you know how to knock?" She snapped.

Lydia snorted. "Isn't that what the people inside are supposed to ask? Besides, we weren't interrupting anything... _were_ we?"

"_No!_ Whatever gave you that idea?" Liz was repulsed at the very idea.

The two girls shrugged in unison as Lydia responded, "Nothing... we just heard voices outside... quiet voices. Then when we open the door to see what's going on, you come falling in... wearing Will's coat."

Liz started. How had she already forgotten that she was still wearing it? She wriggled out of the overcoat as quickly as possible and practically threw it in Will's face. She turned to see that Lydia and Kitty exchanging mischievous smirks. Oh, how she really wished they'd wipe those stupid smiles off their faces. "It was nothing. Nothing! I was... was just... cold..." she trailed off rather lamely.

"Oh really? Was that all? Well then, what exactly were you two doing out there?" Lydia inquired, tilting her head to the side a little too innocently.

_Does she have to tease me this much? She knows I hate him,_ Liz steamed silently. She replied through gritted teeth, "I just couldn't find my key, that's all. Now if you'll excuse me, Will's here to pick up Charlie, so I'll go get him." She turned to Will, who had by now managed to remove his coat from his head and had it bunched up in his hands. "He'll be out in a second," she told him stiffly, then was pressing pass her housemates to get as far away as possible from the whole scene.

A few minutes later, Charlie was out in the living room, his books and notes packed up into a bag slung over his shoulder. Lydia and Kitty had disappeared into their room at some point, which was fine with Liz. She had had enough of those two for one night.

Charlie was saying goodbye to Jane, only keeping their farewell to polite words, but it was hard to ignore his hand clinging possessively to hers. Will was waiting, resting his shoulder against the doorframe and directing his focus on a particularly interesting speck of dust. Liz was further back in the room, leaning against the wall and waiting for her sister to be freed up.

Frowning sadly at his imminent departure, Charlie visibly brightened suddenly. "Walk us to the car?" He asked Jane hopefully. She grinned and nodded shyly before following him out the door.

Once again, Will and Liz were alone, though Liz thankfully noted there was much more space between them now. She still was not quite exactly sure what had happened on the porch minutes before. Maybe he felt he had had to demonstrate his earlier point about women being taken advantage of after dark. That would be silly, but it was really the only explanation she could think of. Whatever it was, she was certain she did not want it to happen again.

Will straightened up and glanced over at Liz briefly. His gaze was different this time. It left Liz feeling cold. Silence, and then, "Good night, Elizabeth." He turned swiftly and left, closing the front door behind him.

Frowning, Liz stared at the shut door blankly. _Was I crazy? Or did I hear a note of... finality when he said that?" _She blinked thoughtfully, then harrumphed_. Whatever, I'm probably just tired and imagined it. _The brunette decided to call it an early night as she ambled back to her bedroom.

* * *

"I don't know, Charlotte," Liz said into the phone doubtfully.

_'Oh, please say you'll come!' _her friend practically pleaded.

Sighing, she shifted the phone to her other ear. She really did not want to go. "Wouldn't I be... imposing or something?" Sounded like a good excuse as anything.

_'Oh no, not at all!' _Charlotte replied enthusiastically._ 'In fact, Collin insisted, practically demanded, that you come! This is just between you and me, but I think he wants to show you what you missed out on.' _Liz thought Charlotte sounded a bit too cheerful about that part.

"Well that's encouraging," she responded sarcastically. "Have I ever mentioned how weird and creepy your fiancé is?"

_'Thousands of times, bordering on millions. So, will you come? Please? I don't want to go alone!' _

Liz grimaced. "Well, I don't want to go at all!"

_'That wasn't a no!' _

With a sigh, Liz scratched her temple resignedly. It was now Thursday, she was done with her finals and she had a good feeling about them all. When she had called her curly-haired friend to see how she had done on her exams, she had not expected it to take a turn for this. Charlotte had gotten invited to spend the holidays with Collin's mother. Liz assumed it was appropriate, what with Charlotte being engaged to the woman's son and all. However, she had not expected the invitation to be extended to herself as well.

True, she had no plans for the holidays. Her parents had gone on vacation out of state for the end of the year, leaving their two daughters to entertain themselves with Christmas on campus. That did not mean that she wanted to spend it with the richest woman on the west coast and her bizarre son. But with Charlotte sounding rather pitiful on the other end of the line, Liz did not really feel she had a choice. Finally, she said, "It wasn't a yes either. But... alright, fine, I guess I'll go."

A whoop of joy could be heard through the phone's speaker. '_Great! Of course, Jane's invited to come too if she wants, there's definitely more than enough room for everyone!' _

Rising from her comfy seat on the sofa, Liz started trekking back to her room. "I'll check. When did you say all this would be? I should be packed and ready about a week from now?"

_'Yup!' _Charlotte affirmed as Liz placed her hand on the door knob and turned it. '_The exact day is the nineteenth and be sure to-'_

"I'll have to call you back," Liz interjected hastily, and turned the phone off with a beep. She was sure Charlotte would understand when she explained later. Before her, in the room she shared with her sister, Jane was curled up on her bed, tears streaming down her eyes. Resting on the mattress at her feet was her open laptop.

A few quick steps brought her next to her twin. Hugging her around the shoulders - an awkward action at this angle - she asked worriedly, "What is it, Janey? What's wrong?"

Jane snuffled a bit, showing no other reaction to her sister holding her. "I don't understand..." she mumbled, almost inaudibly. She spared a glance at the laptop screen, then buried her face into her arms.

Confused, Liz pulled herself away from comforting Jane, somewhat reluctantly, and turned the laptop towards her so she could see it better. There was an email.

_Hi Jane Sweetie! _

_I have some great news! I'm sure you'll be very excited! As Charlie has no doubt told you, he, Will, Crystal and I have been looking at other colleges for some time now. UC Santa Cruz is quaint and all, but well, you know! We just wanted a place that had more... standards, yes, that's it! _

_So anyway, we've applied for transfer to a few of the more prestigious looking ones, and oh my goodness, we got so many acceptance letters! We haven't exactly decided on which one we'll be going to yet, but we've already started packing up to go. Oh dear, wherever we go, I'm sure it will be far! But don't worry, I'll keep in contact with you! I'll update you more later when we have a better idea of where we're going. Until then- _

_Hugs!  
Carol _

Liz's mind took a moment to comprehend what she had read. Then the questions started flooding into her mind. Transfer? Where? Why? Why had Carol sent this and not Charlie? Why was it so short and lacking anything remotely resembling a detail? And Charlie had most certainly not hinted at anything like this, Liz would have heard something. Why was it all just sudden, just happening? Why this, why now?

She turned back to look at Jane, and for the first time noticed that Jane was clutching her cell phone in pale hands, staring at the LCD screen as if it held the answers she sought. Quietly, Liz asked, "Have you been trying to call him?"

Her nod was barely noticeable. She then whispered, "He won't pick up. He's always answered before..." Another tear rolled down her cheek.

Liz's lips formed a grim line. With more confidence than she felt, she said, "Don't worry, Jane. There was just some kind of misunderstanding. He'll call and clear everything up, you'll see. Everything will be fine, okay?"

Jane did not reply, nor move for that matter. Liz watched her for a minute, then rubbed her sister's leg reassuringly. "Things will be okay... they will..."

* * *

_**A/N:**_ And thus ends the last chapter before, what I would like to call, the Rosings Park Chronicles. I have much in plan for that part, just don't know how I'm going to divide it by chapter yet, we'll have to see! And it all occurs during Christmas, so wouldn't it be lovely if I got it all out before December was over? Indeed... I can dream, can't I?

I'm sorry for my long absence. I know I said I would try to post more often, but as you can see that didn't work out. Ya see, come March 2008 I shall be graduating college and be thrust out into the real world. So, last summer - when I said I would be writing more - I decided that I wanted to enjoy my last free summer and be as lazy as possible (much it my parents' displeasure). And I think I succeeded - I have myself an epicced out raiding paladin in World of Warcraft, wewt!

Anyhoo, I had hoped to get back to writing when the school year started, but that proved to be difficult as well. Not only do I have the usual class work, but also my parents on my back about getting a resume ready,contacts, references, a portfolio,blah blah blah. So yah, my life has been very hectic and has allowed little time for this story, I apologize profusely! But Thanksgiving rolled around thankfully, and finally I got this chapter out!

And let me tell you, this chapter has been a pain in my rear! I actually tried to start it several times in the past few months (I think I wrote the beginning and rewrote it about 4 or 5 times, ouch!). It just did not want to be written! I think part of the problem was I really wanted to get to the Rosings Park stuff, but there was this one chapter left in between that I had to cram in. Finally, it's here, so all rejoice and hope for the swift delivery of the next!

As you may be able to tell by now, I'm not the most punctual writer out there. I'm sorry that months pass between my chapters, I really try to avoid it. But I swear to you all, no matter how long it takes, this story WILL be finished! No doubt about that! I mean, I already have the whole blasted thing planned out scene for scene, its just getting it down into written word that's the problem. Anyhoo, just be patient with me and never lose faith, for there are always more chapters on the way, no matter how long I may delay.

That being said... I've been having... idears (yes, ideaRs!) forming in the back of my head. A new fanfic has been writing itself in the crazy inner workings of my mind. It would be another Pride and Prejudice fanfic (what can I say, I love the story!), but it would be OH so different! TRUST me. I kind of want to get started on this story. But I know there are several of you out there attached to this one and desperately waiting for the next chapters! So hopefully, I will not disappoint and the xmas/rosings park chapters will be out soon! But just so you know, I may be delayed again... Maybe I'll write the first chapter of the other story (don't worry, it's short, a prologue really) and post it and see what you guys think. Hmmm... anyhoo, I'llhopefully be posting my next chapter for this story soon, as time permits! Like I said, please be patient with me, and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Hop in!"

Liz, mystified by the sight before her, stood with two packed bags at her feet at the front entrance of Porter, where students where often seen to be waiting for their rides off campus. "Since when did you have a car, Charlotte?"

Patting the sleek leather of the passenger seat next to her, Charlotte answered with a smug grin, "Belated engagement gift from my future mother-in-law, Miss De Bourgh herself! Got it a few days ago, you like? Come on, throw your stuff in the back and let's go!" The trunk popped open with a soft click.

"Wow, that's some present!" Liz replied, still in slight awe, as she carried her luggage to the back compartment. Not only was it a new car, it was shiny, hot red, brand spanking new Porsche! She had almost thought she was imagining things when she saw it drive up, her friend behind the wheel.

"All set?" Charlotte chirped as Liz climbed into the second seat, slamming the door close behind her – but not too hard; after all, it was a Porsche!

Liz nodded, "Yup." Then paused. She was trying to recall if she had ever seen Charlotte drive in the past, and was not being successful. "You do have a license for this thing, right?"

"Of course! It came with the keys!"

_With the… but you just said you only got this thing a few days ago._ Pushing that scary thought aside, Liz asked, "But don't you need to take a driving exam or something?"

"Not if you have money, Miss Eliza, and money is something Miss De Bourgh is in no short supply of." She grinned, a matter-of-fact tone coloring her voice.

Frowning nervously, Liz then said, "But… you have at least driven before, right?"

"Well, no shit!" Charlotte pretended to be offended, but was still grinning. She turned the key in the ignition and the engine burst to life. "Collin gave me a lesson!" And with that, she slammed her foot on to the gas and they went racing off.

Scrabbling for the seat belt – and not quite sure why she had not strapped herself in earlier – Liz did not even feel completely safe when she clicked it into place. As Charlotte took a sharp turn far too fast, the wheels squealing in protest, Liz dug her nails into the seat near her knees.

"So, I see it's just you joining us for the holidays," Charlotte commented conversationally.

Swallowing hard, Liz attempted to relax. "Oh, yeah. Jane chose not to come. Sorry I forgot to tell you, she could not decide for a while, then just told me yesterday."

"Oh, no problem," Charlotte seemed unfazed. "I understand, what with the whole Charlie thing and all. Still no word?"

She shook her head, "Nope. Actually, it got a little worse. Charlie's number no longer works when she tries to dial it, says it's not connected or something."

Charlotte winced at that. "Ouch. But it's like I told you, she just wasn't moving fast enough. He saw no reason to stay, so he moved on."

"That's not true, and that's not Charlie!" Liz answered indignantly, momentarily distracted from how quickly the road was whizzing by underneath them. "It's something his sister did, I know it. Carol is behind it, make no mistake."

"If you say so," she shrugged, not convinced. "So where is ol' Janey anyway? Not staying on campus all by herself, I hope."

"Nah, she's going to stay with our aunt and uncle in Berkley for the break."

Charlotte only made a soft noise in response, one that was uncertain as to whether she was supposed to be optimistic about that or not.

"That's a good thing," Liz assured her. "They're awesome, really cool people. They took us to our first rock concert and were up in the front row with us." Liz's aunt and uncle had never had any kids of their own, so they had spoiled their nieces rotten whenever they got the chance. They were more like close friends than distant relatives. Like Liz had said, they could be really fun to be around, but they were responsible as well. Her aunt especially knew how to cheer up a particularly sad face. It was only on hearing that Jane would be staying with them that Liz had agreed to leave her when her sister was so down. "Also, they were- Charlotte! That light was red! You just ran a red light!"

She placed a finger on her chin, the look of pure innocence on her face. "Oh dear, is that bad?"

"Charlotte!"

"Oh calm down, we're fine," the curly-haired girl chuckled. "No one was coming from either direction, I would have stopped if there was."

Rolling her eyes, Liz replied cynically, "Well that's reassuring. Someone might have crashed into us. We're lucky a cop didn't pull you over."

Freeing one hand from the steering wheel, Charlotte waved it dismissively. "You worry too much. Do you forget who your driver is? The future daughter of the Catherine De Bourgh, and a damn fine looking woman to boot. If my looks don't stop an officer from reaching for his ticket pad, dropping the De Bourgh name will."

Liz laughed despite herself, then gripped hard to the door's arm rest as Charlotte skirted closely around another car that was going to slow for her tastes, the distinct sound of metal scraping against metal as they passed. "Still... it wouldn't hurt to slow down just a little bit, right?"

"Fine, fine. I'll at least start treating red lights like stop signs, happy?"

"It's a start," Liz allowed with a nod. She noticed her knuckles were beginning to turn white with how tightly they gripped. Releasing her grip and shaking the blood back into her hand, she asked, "So, where are we going anyway? Are we going to be in the car for a while?"

"Not at all! It's only about half an hour drive from her actually," Charlotte informed her.

Liz blinked. "Really? So... the richest woman on this coast lives in Santa Cruz? How come I never heard this?"

Charlotte made a tsking sound with her tongue. "Don't you know, Liz? The rich don't live anywhere, they just have homes everywhere and move from one to another as they please. Rosings Park is only one of the many she owns. And it's not in Santa Cruz, it's actually just a little while outside of it."

"Ah..." Liz acknowledged. Then, "Rosings Park?"

"The name of this house." Charlotte continued in a more lofty tone, as if she were reciting a lesson to a student, "The rich also have a habit of naming their homes, for they are like their children, only much larger in size and they don't talk back."

"I see," was all Liz could think to say to that.

Having the graciousness to flip on her left blinker before cutting off someone in the next lane - and receiving much angry honking, which went ignored - Charlotte went on, "So, Miss De Bourgh just arrived yesterday afternoon and has been settling in, preparing the place company. I met her last night for dinner."

"What's she like?"

Charlotte made a face. "She's... different. You'll see." Liz did not like the ominous sound in her friend's voice. But, as Charlotte refused to go into further detail, she had to leave it at that.

The drive, like Charlotte said, was not long at all. They spent most of it chatting about nothing in particular and laughing and flipping through different radio stations. Soon they were drawing near their destination, thanks to the speed of Charlotte's reckless driving. Liz could tell they were close, for not only did Charlotte actually slow down to just above the speed limit, but they were beginning to spot more townhouses and other fancy dwellings.

"These places are huge! Can you imagine living in one?" Liz mused as they drove past the houses, each more elegant than the last.

Charlotte did not seem impressed. "I don't have to imagine, I will be living in one. And if you want to talk size, you ain't seen nothing yet."

The Porsche turned off onto side road, and they quickly left the urban uptown behind them. They were much closer to the beach than Liz had originally realized, for as soon as they were able to see past the houses, there it was, the sea sparkling in all its glory. The sophisticated houses were more spread out now, being separated by acres of green vegetation, varying from the tamest of gardens to fields of wild flowers. Liz was caught up in watching the beautiful countryside go by when Charlotte spoke up again.

"By the way, I was noticing your bags seemed a little smaller than I expected them to be. You did pack everything, right?" Charlotte, for the first time since she had picked Liz up, had a note of seriousness to her voice.

Wondering at the odd question, for it had come out of nowhere, Liz answered, "Should have, yeah... everything I thought I'd need."

"So, you did bring a few dresses like I told you to bring then?"

"A few what?" She asked, not sure she heard right.

Charlotte took her eyes of the road to shoot Liz a look. "Dresses, dresses! I asked you to bring a few."

"Oh, the dresses!" She paused as she let the moment of comprehension sink in. "I thought you were joking."

"What? Why on earth would you think that?" Mild panic now replaced her previous emotion.

Quirking an eyebrow at her, Liz said, "Because you're always joking. I just thought it this was another one of your gags I didn't get."

She grumbled sternly, "Well, this was a bad time not to humor your friend or just play along or something! Shoot, what are you going to do now? It's too late to turn around and buy something, she'll be expecting us soon..."

"What's the big deal? So I don't have a dress, I have other clothes, it's not like I'm going naked."

"The big deal is if you don't have a dress to meet Miss De Bourgh in, you may as well be naked," she informed Liz with an air of authority.

Liz laughed. "Oh, don't exaggerate."

"I'm not!" Charlotte protested earnestly. "In her eyes, a 'young lady' is not 'presentable' unless she is 'properly gowned' or something like that." Charlotte removed both her hands from the wheel several times to do air quotes in the appropriate places. Liz was only mildly disconcerted by this, as she was beginning to get used to her friend's driving. "Hmm, let's see... well I guess there's nothing for it. You'll have to wear one of mine."

"Not happening," the brunette snorted. "You're much taller than me, the thing will probably drag and get all crumpled. Not to mention, I don't think we're exactly the same bust size."

"But it'll have to do. Trust me, Liz, it's better than the alternative. Maybe we can bind it up with a few safety pins or-"

"No," Liz stated, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I won't do it."

"But... you can't go in _that_," Charlotte complained, glancing at Liz's old, faded t-shirt that had _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_ printed across it in a bold red dripping font and tattered jeans, complete with frayed holes in the knees.

With a lazy shrug, she replied, "What's wrong with it? It's comfortable. I like being comfortable when I'm on break."

Charlotte sighed. "Suit yourself. Just don't come crying to me later when it all blows up in your face."

So far, Liz was not getting the best image of this Catherine De Bourgh lady. First, the mysterious hints that Charlotte had given earlier had not sounded too promising, and now this. _But maybe I'm just reading too much into things. Maybe she's just old fashioned... and a bit stuffy, but nothing wrong with that. Welp, guess I'm about to find out._ The last thought popped into her mind as the car made another turn, presumably the last, onto a driveway guarded by an intricately designed gate, which hung open in welcome at the moment.

"Here we are," Charlotte said in a sing-song, cheerful once more.

And here, they most certainly were, in front of the largest house Liz had ever seen in real life. Dwarfing all the other places Liz had seen on the way here, it very well had to be a mansion, bordering on modest castle - if castles could be called modest. It looked like it ate other homes for breakfast, basement, attic, family dog and all. It could also pass for the big bully on the block, beating up other meek townhouses for their lunch money. Okay, now Liz had to admit that her imagination was running away with her. But, damn it, this house was ginormous!

From what she could see of the outside, it seemed it was kept in good repair and clean, for its exterior was a bright white that seemed inhumanely possible. It had wide veranda at the front door surrounded by extravagant columns that had to be at least twice Liz's height. It was at three stories high - though Liz would not be surprised if they had squeezed in a fourth somewhere - and enough windows to make a small army. While it could be seen that plants grew wild further out - tastefully, of course - it became more domesticated and managed as it drew in towards the house, with several plants and flowered trees that well knew the decisive clip of a professional gardener's pruner.

"Miss Eliza, darling, your mouth is hanging open and it's most unseemly," Charlotte playfully quipped.

Indeed it was, and Liz snapped it shut, deciding not to dignify her friend with a response. Charlotte had already shut off the engine and was hopping out of the car. Liz quickly made to do the same. Her friend had popped open the trunk and grabbed one of the bags while Liz grabbed the other. Momentarily, she wondered where Charlotte's stuff was, and then remembered she had said she had met Miss De Bourgh the night before. She had probably brought her stuff with her then.

Liz followed Charlotte up the steps onto the veranda and then up to the front door. It was unlocked apparently, for she needed no key, just placed her hand on the silver handle and pushed her way in.

"Yoohoo, Richard!" Charlotte called as she and Liz entered, her voice echoing and carrying far. They were now in a large, spacey foyer that was free of anything save a wide set of stairs straight ahead of them. From here, Liz could see that they went up to the second floor, paused briefly to allow for a pathway going either right or left, then continued on with more steps to the third floor. The foyer itself had many other exits - hallways leading off to who knew where or what. Liz did notice that the closest hall to her right had light reflected onto it in delicate patterns. She guessed that the room beyond held polished statues or glass figurines or something equally shiny and fragile that would cause the light patterns she saw.

"Who's Richard?" Liz asked absentmindedly, still looking around.

Charlotte grinned at her over her shoulder. "The butler, of course. Who else?"

A man entered then, middle aged and finely dressed in a black suit. Without a word, he took the bag that Charlotte carried from her then reached for the one Liz held. She let him have it, but blinked at him in bewilderment as he turned and began to carry them up the stairs. Leaning towards Charlotte, she whispered, "Hey, where's he going with my stuff?"

"To your room, silly. It's next to mine, which I must be heading to now, for I need to change and get ready." She began to walk up the steps. "Wait here, and have a look around if you want, but don't go too far beyond this room. Wouldn't want you to get lost. I should be back soon."

Liz watched Charlotte go, then stood firmly in place with her hands at her sides. She glanced around from where she had settled, but did not move. She was a bit scared to go anywhere in the house by herself. Not only was she sure the inside was just as large as the outside, but she felt weird walking around someone else's home without them there. Sure, Charlotte had said it was okay at least for this room, but still, Liz felt safe right where she stood.

However, Charlotte was taking her time returning, despite her reassurance that she would be back soon. Liz tapped her foot as she waited, even that slight motion resonating throughout the foyer. She glanced around a second time, a more curious look in her eyes now. Maybe it would be fine if she walked around... just a little bit, just around the room and glancing down hallways. Yeah, there should not be a problem with that.

The hall reflecting with lights captured her attention again. Hesitating for a second longer, she finally took a step in that direction. That's as far as she got.

"Charlotte's back, Sophia, so her room and her guest's room better be prepared to their liking!" Came a stern, feminine voice from the hall opposite of the one Liz was interested in. Footsteps - marked by the shrewd click of high heels - could be heard rapidly approaching. Liz froze, watching and waiting.

In came an older woman with an imperious walk - a walk that said that she owned this place and everyone in it, and if anyone dare oppose here, heads would roll. Her slightly graying, mostly auburn hair was shoulder length and perfectly straight, not a strand out of place. She wore a two piece outfit, a long sleeved top and a skirt that fell primly below the knees, all in the regal color of deep purple. It had a very business-like feel about it. She was neither a skinny nor a wide woman, but somewhat broad of shoulders. The thing that caught the attention of most people - and was catching Liz at this very moment - was her face. It wore a hard expression, a commanding one, one that brook no argument. Anything or anyone her eyes fell on was judged, weighed, evaluated, and in the end more often then not, found lacking. In other words, this woman was no little ball of sunshine.

It seemed she had not noticed Liz yet, for her head was turned slightly to the side. Her voice rung out again as she kept calling out orders, "I will receive them in the Lilac Room, see that they are escorted there promptly five minutes from now. Be sure to be not a minute late, otherwise I'd hate to have to find a new maid."

She finally turned her head and spotted Liz, stopping in mid step a few feet away from her. The woman seemed perplexed at first as she gave Liz was quick sweeping glance, then she curled her lips in disgust. "And whichever one of you left this child lying around, get her out of my sight! I don't want her dirtying up the furniture or breaking anything!" She snapped, even more loudly than before. Brushing past Liz, she continued on her march, grumbling, "Blast the help, leaving their whelps hanging around. I have enough to do as it is without tripping over their brats all over the place. And with the amount of money I pay those useless servants, you'd think they could afford to give their children proper hair cuts..."

That was the last remark Liz could hear as the woman disappeared down another hallway. She patted at her hair defensively as she muttered under her breath, "And a fine hello to you too, Miss De Bourgh..."

"What was that?" came Charlotte's voice from the stairs, and Liz looked up. Her friend now had her unruly hair pulled back into a manageable pony-tail and was wearing a modest maroon colored dress that brushed lightly against the floor. There was nothing particularly fancy about the dress, but it was not the kind of dress one just wore around the house while doing chores either. Though it was plain, it was made of expensive looking fabric and fit Charlotte nicely.

"Oh, nothing," Liz answered as her friend finished descending the last few steps and joined her. "I think I just met the grand Miss De Bourgh though. She's quite the gracious hostess. Nice dress by the way."

Charlotte grinned and batted her eyelashes as she answered, "Damn right it's a nice dress. Shows off my girlish figure." Her grin faltered a little bit as she continued in a quieter voice, "But yeah, De Bourgh can be a little intimidating at first. I'm sorry, I had meant to be there when you first met her. I think she likes me, so that was supposed to make her like you by association."

"Too late. She thinks I'm some servant's kid running amuck through the house." Liz gave a twisted half-smile.

Placing a hand on her cheek, Charlotte shook her head. "D'oh. Well I see you two are off to a great start."

"Oh yeah," Liz agreed cynically. "By the way, do I have to deal with Collin as well during this little tea party?"

Charlotte smirked. "It's not a tea party, there's not even tea... at least, I don't think there is. Anyway, no, he's out on some sort of errands or something like that. Probably won't see him until tomorrow."

"Well, at least that's a relief," Liz responded with a wry grin of her own.

"Hey! That's my future husband you're talking about!"

"Your fault, not mine." Liz dodged a half-hearted swipe from her friend with a laugh.

The two continued to speak quietly for a few more minutes. Soon, a maid - quite clearly to be seen, from the way she dressed and the way her hair was held back in a tight bun - entered and, on getting the two girl's attentions, gave Charlotte a small curtsy. "Miss Lucas," she greeted sullenly, and then turned to Liz. A hint of uncertainty in her voice, she continued, "...and Miss Lucas' guest?"

Liz nodded as Charlotte stated, "Yes, this would be her."

The maid bowed again. "Miss De Bourgh will see you now. If you'll follow me please." She turned away stiffly and began to lead the way at an unhurried pace. Charlotte shot her friend an encouraging smile before trailing after the woman, Liz not too far behind. They entered the hallway towards the back of the foyer, a hall not as long as Liz would have imagined it to be. Still, it had several doors and a large archway not that far down to their right. All of the doors were closed, but the open arch poured light from it. It was there that the maid was taking them.

The maid entered first, announcing their arrival. Charlotte did not hesitate to step in after, but Liz halted a moment before stepping into the room. _This should be fun... won't 'Madam' be surprised?_

"Charlotte, my dear," she heard that same stern voice from before. "How good of you to come. Still in fine health, I see? Stand up straighter, dear, I will not abide slouching. Oh, but... where is your guest?"

"My...? But isn't she right behi-" Charlotte sounded confused at first, then stopped abruptly. Liz figured she had turned around to find that Liz was not standing beside her. Now seemed like the moment for her entrance.

She walked in, hands clasped behind her back. The room she entered was large - like everything else in the house - and held many sitting chairs and bookcases. While the bookcases were stocked full of several colorful and thick volumes, Liz got the feeling it was for decorative purposes. Windows that stretched from ceiling to floor were placed along the back wall, letting in lots of sunlight and giving a perfect view of an extravagant garden. The seats, the curtains, the rug, and almost everything else in the room were a pale reddish purple - Liz could see why it had been named the Lilac Room.

Sitting in one of the chairs, ankles crossed formally and hands folded in her lap, was the same older woman from before. The Miss Catherine De Bourgh. She was frowning coldly at Liz. Liz, in turn, flashed a friendly grin and gave a cheery little hand wave, complete with wiggling fingers.

Turning her vulture-like gaze on the maid, she hissed, "Sophia, were you not listening before? Do we have to clean out your ears? What is _she_ still doing out here? I don't care what you do, just remove the wretched thing from our presence at once."

Sophia opened her mouth and closed it several times, clearly confused and at a loss for words. Charlotte had no such problem. "She's not wretched!"

"Nor am I a thing," Liz added hotly.

"This," Charlotte spoke again, quickly and much more evenly than before, "is my guest, Elizabeth."

Miss De Bourgh seemed taken aback by that. "Well," she breathed haughtily, then eyed Liz over again, much like she did earlier in the foyer. However, this time she did it more slowly. "Well and well," she said again as she examined, the frown never leaving her face. She then sniffed and said, "I... see." And that was that. "Sophia, you may leave me with my... guests. Return to your duties." Sophia, relieved, acknowledged with a curtsy and left.

"Have a seat," she drawled, inclining her head in a dignified manner towards a close by couch directly to her right. Charlotte obliged and took a seat on the end closest to her ladyship, leaving the other end open for her friend to sit. Liz smiled and chose to sit in a completely different chair opposite of Miss De Bourgh. Her host did not seemed pleased, but made no comment. "So, Elizabeth... was it? You attend the University of California, Santa Cruz with Charlotte, correct?"

"Affirmative," she simply said.

"And what field of study have you chosen to pursue?"

Taking that as fancy talk for 'major,' Liz answered, "I'm trying for a BA in Literature, and thinking of my concentration being in Creative Writing."

For the first time since she met her, Liz saw Miss De Bourgh smile. _Amazing! I thought that scowl was permanently attached to her face,_ Liz thought to herself. However, it was not a warm smile, nor did it hold any mirth. "Books and writing? What on earth do you plan to do with that?"

"Why, I believe I plan to write books," Liz answered with levity, her words being said as if they had a 'Well, duh!' at the beginning. "That's what Charlotte is studying as well, I believe." Charlotte shot her a glance, clearly asking why she was being brought into this.

Miss De Bourgh placed a hand lightly on Charlotte's knee, saying, "Well, her situation is quite different, now isn't it? She has been fortunate enough to form a bond with my son, a young man well placed in high society. For now, she has been given the room to flourish and the time to dabble in a bit of literature, furthering her education and culturing her. It'll help her settle in to her new life, for soon she shall be a member of the esteemed De Bourgh family and will not want for anything. I dare say that you have no such opportunities."

_Ouch. Not sure whether she's saying I'm doomed to be a bum or that I can't find a man, but that was a wordy insult if I ever heard one!_ Liz just forced a smile and responded, "No, I have not been graced with such fortune. Guess I'll just have to try my luck with, oh, I don't know, a career or something."

Giving an overdramatic sigh, Miss De Bourgh shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with most of the young women these days. They think too much, that's what it is. It's not healthy for not yet fully matured, feminine minds. Thinking about jobs and careers and nasty little business like that. Men's work is what it is, not ladies. No, well-brought up young women should be concentrating on finding sturdy young men to support them, like Charlotte here had the brilliant foresight to." Liz shot Charlotte a thumbs-up, mouthing 'good work.' Charlotte rolled her eyes. Miss De Bourgh, not having noticed, continued, "Mothers should be looking out for the same thing for their impressionable daughters as well. Why, I've had Anne's future settled nicely for years now, almost since the day she was born." She gestured to her right to the couch opposite of Charlotte.

With a start, Liz realized for the first time that there was a fourth person in the room with them. Slouching into the cushion, her legs splayed out before her, was a girl that had to be about sixteen, at oldest seventeen, years of age. She was wearing a dress quite similar to her mother's, the main difference being it was a deep shade of forest green. Her hair was dark and slightly stringy, while her skin was pale and her entire being rather frail, as if she did not get out that often. The girl did not look up or give any indication that she knew she was the center of attention at the moment. All her concentration was focused on a little electronic device in her hands, possibly a portable gaming system.

Liz frowned confusedly. A daughter? Since when did Miss De Bourgh have a daughter? It took her a moment, but finally she remembered Collin having mentioned his sister a few times in conversation. From the little details she had heard, it had sounded like this Anne was supposed to be a younger version of her mother. However, beyond their outfits, she saw very little similarity. There was Miss De Bourgh, who had dominated the room, and then there was Anne, who Liz had not even noticed until now.

"Oh, where _are_ my manners? Your... presence must have overwhelmed me, Elizabeth," Miss De Bourgh stated, saying the word 'presence' as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. "Meet my daughter, Anne Cassandra De Bourgh. Anne? Anne, greet our company."

Anne did not take her eyes off the handheld device as she muttered uninterestedly, "Hullo."

Miss De Bourgh smiled fondly at her daughter. Liz raised an eyebrow. _That did not seem very ladylike. Neither does that thing she's playing with._ Curious as to why a 'respectable' young lady would be fiddling with it, Liz asked, "What does she have in her hand?"

"Oh, that? Just a toy I let her amuse herself with. She claims it has its educational uses. But that's neither here nor there, I am just partial to it because it keeps her biddable." 'Biddable', Liz decided, translated into Anne was actually spoiled and that was the only thing that kept her quiet. Liz smiled. Even if that interpretation was not true, it brightened her mood.

"Now, where was I?" Miss De Bourgh picked up once more. "Ah yes, my darling Anne's future. You know, she was betrothed before she was nearly a year old. Yes, to a wealthy, magnificent young gentleman. His family and ours have been acquainted for a while now, going back several generations."

Liz cocked her head to one side, making a face. "Betrothed? Isn't that a bit outdated? And why wasn't Collin treated the same way?"

The lady of the house shot her a contemptuous look. "The idea of betrothal is traditional. Why change the cherished custom of our ancestors when it is still perfectly good practice? And as for Collin, there are differences between raising a daughter and raising a son. Where as it is in a girl's best interest to find a dependable partner as early as possible, it is good for a man to go out into the world and find his own bride-to-be. It builds character."

_And boy, does Collin ever need character,_ Liz silently mused. "Tradition or not, don't you think it the whole idea a bit confining? I mean, it seems like Anne's been engaged since before she even said her first word. Didn't anyone ever ask her what she wants? Shouldn't a girl have just as much right to find her future mate on her own? Shouldn't a girl build character as well?" Anne seemed oblivious to the fact that the topic of discussion was herself. Either that or just did not care. As for Charlotte, she seemed to think it wise and was perfectly willing to keep out of this conversation as much as possible.

"My," Miss De Bourgh huffed. "You are a highly opinionated for someone of your stature."

"Right back at ya, sister," Liz responded with a devilish grin.

Her ladyship did not take that lightly, for she scowled deeper than she had before, a feat Liz had not thought possible. _Note to self: no calling her 'sister' anymore._ Charlotte fired Liz a look that blatantly told Liz to leave _fast._ Anne was still in her own little gaming world. Liz decided now would be a good time to disappear for a few minutes. Clearing her throat and rising, she said, "Now if you'll pardon me, I believe I require the use of your bathroom. That would be...?"

Charlotte was frantically shooing Liz away as covertly as she possibly could. Miss De Bourgh responded slowly, her voice pure ice, "Out the door, to your left, first one on the right."

Liz made her exit without a word, hiding a satisfied smile. As she entered the not unexpectedly lavishly designed bathroom and closed the door behind her, she decided she would wait a few minutes longer than necessary to return. She wanted to give Charlotte plenty of time to smooth some ruffled feathers.

She had meant to be on her best behavior this first meeting, really she had. After all, this was supposed to be her vacation, she did not want to make any enemies. However, from that first moment Miss Catherine De Bourgh had entered that foyer and upturned her nose at the sight of Liz, it had been decided. _That old crone started it,_ Liz claimed with a shrug, _I was just giving back what I received. Now to just hide out until the coast is clear... relatively._

For a minute or two, Liz just leaned against the door, trailing her finger over the natural patterns of the marble sink. Eventually, she wondered over to the window and pulled at the edge of the silk curtain, peeping out. More gardens could be seen, plus part of the driveway – it was longer then she remembered. Maybe she had not noticed when they had arrived because she was too distracted by the house. Beyond that, the faint glimmer of the sun reflecting on the sea could be seen. She continued to watch outside, just letting her mind wonder.

Just when she was about to release the curtain and leave the safety of the washroom, she spotted movement outside. A car was pulling into the entrance and coming slowly down the driveway._Possibly Collin? No, Charlotte said we probably wouldn't see him today. More company, maybe? Who would want to visit this old bat anyhow? Anyone in their right mind wouldn't... wait a minute._ Liz's eyes widened. She pulled open the curtain further and leaned closer to the glass. _I recognize that car! I've ridden in that car! Why is _he _here?! No, it couldn't be. There's just no way... no friggin' way!_ Unable to just stand there anymore, Liz dropped the curtains and dashed out of the bathroom. She had to know.

She ran through the foyer, her feet echoing loudly through the room, possibly through the whole house. Throwing open the front door with a loud bang as it hit the wall, Liz rushed out onto the porch and nearly fell down the stairs. There she stopped to catch her balance, and then stare in utter shock and bewilderment at the now parked car.

That was Will's car. With Will in the driver's seat. And Will's friend in the passenger seat, whoever the heck he was – Liz did not recognize him nor did she really care beyond the fact that it connected him with Will. All she cared about, and all she could comprehend really, was for whatever reason, Will was here. His look of surprise on seeing her probably mirrored her own.

Liz stood frozen, as if made of stone, for a few seconds. Then the illusion shattered as life burst into her once more. Anger filled her. Raging, unstoppable, undeniable anger that caused all sane and rational thoughts in her mind to flee in terror. She stormed up to his car and slammed her fists on his hood before glaring directly at him through the windshield. "What are you doing here?" she shouted. "What the damn _hell_ are you doing here? Are you some sort of stalker now? What, you have to hunt me down so you can insult me some more? Not enough to always be there throughout last quarter with that arrogant sneer on your face and something high-and-mighty to say?"

It looked like the guy riding with Will said something to him, but Liz did not see it. Her entire being was concentrated on the driver and him alone. The only thing she saw was Will calmly unbuckle his seat belt and pop open the door, climbing out. His face still seemed puzzled, but it was more muted now. She ran around from her position in front of the car to stab a finger at him. "So what is it? Huh? Why'd you come here? Weren't quite done mocking me, were you? Wanted to get one last jab in, hm?"

"Elizabeth, I, er... I didn't actually know you were going to be here," he said quietly.

"Oh, right, a likely story!" She snapped, giving an exasperated laugh. "Tell me another one. No, really, what is it? You just had to track me down so you could... what? Just stand there and be creepy? What?! And how did you even _find_ me here?"

Will seemed uncertain at how to proceed, so just stood there. There was a tap at Liz's shoulder and a softly voiced, "Um, Liz? ...Lizzy?"

"What?" She snapped, whirling around to find Charlotte pulling her hand away quickly as if it had been burnt.

"Uh, you see..." Charlotte stepped in closer, trying to talk quietly. "He really didn't know you were going to be here."

"The hell he didn't! Why else would he be here? Stop trying to defend him, I want to give this jerk a piece of my mind!"

As Liz made to turn on Will again, Charlotte grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Liz glared at her friend, but Charlotte only pulled her closer and whispered behind her hand into Liz's ear, "No, Liz, stop it! You really don't know?" Liz just continued to glower at her, annoyed that she was being denied her righteous wrath. Charlotte blinked in surprise. She whispered more softly now and more hurriedly, "You really _don't_ know! I'm sorry, I thought you did! I thought Collin had told you or... anyway, Will's the friend of the family Miss De Bourgh was talking about earlier. He is Anne's fiancé!"

That stopped Liz like nothing else would. Everything, her body, her thoughts, her breath, just stopped. Everything seemed to go abnormally silent and still. Liz stared blankly at first at Charlotte, then turned to Will, speechless. Finally, she said something that put her feelings into perfect clarity.

"...oh."

* * *

A/N: Surprise! It's another chapter up! And it less than a week, lookit me go. This is exciting, let me tell you! Either I've been bitten by the writing bug or all your reviews spurred me on, or both! Whatever the case, woohoo!

And by the way, thanks for all your positive feedback, I'm glad I'm making this an enjoyable story for you all.

I would like to have the next chapter out in no longer than another week, but sorry to say, I don't see that happening. My finals are coming up now, so I must be prepared. Hopefully, you should see another chapter up sooner than later. And thanks for understanding about how busy I've been, really appreciate it. Until next time-


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hello again! I'm sure you're all eager to get to the next chapter of my little story, but first, I wish to discuss something.

The end of my last chapter received many mixed reviews, both positive and some... not so positive. I'd like to respond to the latter of the two to the best of my ability.

First off, I did not mean to portray Liz as stupid at the end of the last chapter, and I'm sorry if it came off that way. She was just having a moment of craziness, a "freak out" some might call it, though a quite over-the-top one. I mean imagine this: there's this person you know, a person you hate (whether for a good reason to or not). Now imagine that you're at a place, a private residence if you will, out in the middle of nowhere, next to no one even knows you're there, and previously mentioned person shows up out of the blue. You have no idea why he's there and it's not like this is a chance bumping into at the mall or anything; you're at some person's house and this hated person just shows up on the doorstep. Well I don't know about you, but I would be confused and possibly a little creeped out. Granted, I may not exactly explode like Liz did, but then again, I'm not Liz. This is just how I chose to portray how she would act. My Liz is a very emotional, temperamental person if you have not guessed by now. This is how I thought she would react, and that is why it was written this way.

The following is in response to one certain review. Personally, I would have like to have PM'd all of this to that specific person. But as they chose to post without signing in, thus remaining anonymous - you know who you are - I have to put this lengthy response right here.

I know Liz was never really "mean" to Darcy in the original version of the story. But, let me point out that this is quite obviously not the original, it is a fanfiction. I never claimed this would closely follow the original in any way. I put my own twist on it, much like the other writers out there do. True, I take many liberties, but there are other stories out there that take far more than I - just look, you'll find them.

This anonymous reviewer also asked why Darcy would even like Liz at this point, given how mean she is. Well, starting by telling you a bit about myself, I am a big fan of all kinds of romance stories. But my most favorite is where the two people start off on the wrong foot and are always fighting, always at each others throats. They have no idea that they love each other until their first kiss, and sometimes the still don't know it even then. I don't know why, but there it is, that is the kind of story I like best. In a way, this was supposed to be an attempt at one of those, even though it's not so much two people fighting and more one person always fighting and the other just kind of taking it. To understand the characters a bit more, Liz is actually subconsciously attracted to him, but since he insulted her the first time they met, she would never admit to even remotely liking him much less anything beyond that. So instead, she's mad at him and overcompensates and overreacts to every little thing he does. As for Will, he has never met anyone quite like her. She always has something to say and never lets anything or anyone keep her down. He is intrigued by her and drawn to her, despite how she acts to him. He sees her when she's not angry, in how he treats her sister and how she is with her friends, and finds he likes the true her; he sees past the defensive wall she puts around herself whenever she is near him. That's my twisted logic, take it or leave it... I hope at least some of you out there understand.

That's basically the long of it. The short is, I really just thought this would be an amusing scene. Really, in my head it seemed funny. I never imagined it would see any negative reaction of any kind, nor anyone reading into it as much as some people did. I just thought it would get a laugh. If it makes those of you who had complaints feel any better, any future outbursts from Liz are few and much more warranted.

In closing, I'd like to say that whether it seems like it or not, I really do appreciate my readers' honesty. To those of you who found problems in my previous chapter, I was glad to note that you still expressed interest in the continuation of my story. Hopefully future chapters will not disappoint and/or confuse you so.

Now that that's done with... read on.

* * *

Chapter 16

If someone had told Liz a year ago that, more than once, she would be stuck in the same house as Will for an extended amount of time, Liz would have said, "Will? Who the hell is Will?" For you see, she did not know Will a year ago. However, if you asked her that very same question about two months ago, she would have laughed long and hard and said, "Yeah right, when pigs fly and alligators teach physics."

As of this day, pigs still have their feet firmly planted on the ground and alligators still are more likely to eat a book on physics than teach from one. And yet, here Liz found herself sitting across from Will, her new housemate for the holidays. Well, technically he would be staying in De Bourgh's guest house, but it was still practically the same thing. He'd be coming to the main house to eat his meals, see his Aunt, celebrate Christmas, and so on.

She closed her eyes as she suppressed an unhappy shudder. In her mind, the scene that had happened out on the driveway replayed itself once more, as it had many times in the past few minutes. Her embarrassed, soft and stuttering apologies; Charlotte explaining through forced laughter that it had all been a joke; Will saying nothing, just wearing the intense stare that he always did. The icing on the cake had been when Liz had turned back to the house to find Miss De Bourgh standing on the porch, nose up in the air in all its haughty glory. She had seen everything, and now most likely thought Liz a raving lunatic - probably one of her nicer thoughts among many.

Why the lady of the house had not sent her packing that instant, Liz would never know. Maybe some sense of obligation towards etiquette stayed the older woman's tongue. As it was, after a pause Miss De Bourgh just graciously greeted the newcomers, invited them in, and turned to reenter her domain, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Everyone had followed her in, Liz bringing up the rear with her eyes downcast.

Miss De Bourgh had proceeded to lead them to another sitting room in the house, different than the one Liz had seen before. She had mildly wondered just how many there were in the house and why the switch. This one, Liz found out, was named the Ambrosia Room. It, unlike its predecessor, was a mixture of colors, the predominate one being a pastel green that, in Liz's opinion, clashed with everything. At least it did with all the furniture in the room.

Miss De Bourgh had taken a seat in an ornate, cushioned chair while Charlotte took a much smaller chair close by. Liz had been thankful to find a seat in a sofa near Charlotte that put her friend between herself and her hostess. Anne, who was still playing her portable game, was in a cozy couch made for two across from Liz. Upon none too subtle hints from Miss De Bourgh, Will had sat next to Anne. There was noticeable distance between the engaged couple.

The corner of Liz's mouth twitched into a slight frown. She just could not get over the idea. Will? And this Anne girl? _Engaged?_ Somehow, that just did not sit right with her. First off, did no one see that there was quite the age difference between them? Then there was the fact that Will's bride-to-be seem little more than a lobotomized button-pusher. Would he really be happy with that? And who in their right mind would want to be related, even only by law, to the old De Bourgh crone? Sure, Charlotte was soon going to be, but Liz had already affirmed long ago that Charlotte was never in her right mind. That is what made her such a fun friend.

Liz then blinked in surprise at herself. Why on earth did she care about who Will married? It was not any of her business, and even if it was, it should not bother her so. In fact, she should find the whole situation funny. Yes, funny. Will was going to be getting a wife that looked like she was the Queen of Boresville, a mother-in-law from the fiery pits of the underworld, and a brother-in-law who was... well, who was Collin. What more needed to be said about that? Yes, it was all very amusing. Liz allowed herself a small smile.

There must have been something odd or creepy about her smile, for she then glanced over at Charlotte, who was giving her a weird look. Liz immediately wiped the grin off her face, and cleared her throat, attempting to pay attention to what was going on. It was not much; Miss De Bourgh was focusing all her attention and conversation at Will, and with much more enthusiasm then she had with Liz earlier. No one else was speaking. Liz quickly lost interested, her gaze wondering back to the odd couple on the couch across from her once more. And once more, despite herself, she began ticking off reasons why this union made no sense to her.

"It's not gonna happen, you know," someone whispered to her right.

She jumped in her seat then turned her head. Relaxing, she saw the guy who had been riding in the car with Will. Having been so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she had completely forgot he was there, sharing the very sofa she sat on with her. He was a tall boy, at least as tall as Will, probably an inch or two taller. They were also of the same body type, but that was where the similarities ended. He wore a colorful, yet slightly faded tie-dye t-shirt that fit comfortably and a pair of tan corduroy pants. His hair was a flashy mess of bright red locks that strayed every which way, none coming down further than the one that hung over his left eye. His lips were quirked into a half grin, as if he was silently laughing at a joke only he got. Liz guessed that he was a few years older than her, maybe around the age of a newly graduated college student. He, like Will, was staying in the guest house.

Confused, she replied quietly, "Excuse me? What's not going to happen?"

He shifted his eyes over to Anne and Will, nodding in their direction. "Those two. They're not getting married. They don't even particularly like each other. Will just keeps coming to these things because of some sense of obligation to family ties. I have no such compulsion, but Will threatens to beat me unless I come. But as for those two... just no. So you can stop worrying your pretty little head about it," he said teasingly.

Liz raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not worried about it. Truthfully, I'm not... _anything_ about it."

"Huh. Could have fooled me with the face you were making," he responded with a shrug, then flashed her a sly smile.

_Face? What face? I wasn't making a face... was I?_ Shaking her head, she decided to change the subject. "You're Robert, right?"

"Robert Steven Fitzwilliam the Second, to be exact. But that's an awful name and a mouthful to boot, so just call me Red. For obvious reason." He flicked the crimson bang hanging over his eye for emphasis. "And you're The Liz."

Nodding slowly, she puzzled over the use of the word 'the' put before her name, as if she were famous or something. But before she could ponder over that for long, something else tugged at her brain. His red hair... there was something familiar about it. She scrunched up her eyes, staring at it and trying to remember.

Tilting his head to one side, he asked, "What? Is something wrong with my hair? Oh no! Is it neat and tidy?" As if the very idea was appalling, he rubbed his fingers through his scalp vigorously to reassert the mess. "I look like such a geek when my hair's neat!"

Suddenly, Liz's face brightened. Still keeping her voice down, she exclaimed, "You're that boy, with that band!"

He raised his eyes to look at her questioningly, but the smile had returned. "Oh yeah? I'm _that_ boy? With that band at that place with the stuff? Glad to hear I that I'm so memorable."

"Oh, shush. You were the singer of the band at... where was it? The Halloween party? Yeah, that was it! You were a scarecrow. I remember your hair was sticking out of your straw hat."

"Got it in one," he nodded. "And you were the pirate that had to coax the drunkard off the stage."

With a soft laugh, she responded, "Yeah, that was me. My friends not usually like that... she was just having a bad night." She paused for a second, frowning as she remembered something else from that night. "You're Will's... cousin, right?" She thought she had heard that during the introductions earlier, but she was not positive. She had not exactly been paying attention.

Relaxing into the sofa and resting his elbows over the back of it, Red answered, "Yup, that'd be me. It's hard to see the family resemblance, I know... cause I'm far more attractive."

Liz chuckled, but then concentrated on her original intent. "But at the night of the party, Will said that Charlie had picked the band and made it sound like he had nothing to do with your group performing that night. In fact, he acted like he hardly knew you, much less like he was related to you."

He snorted. "That's Will for you. He'd hate to think he was playing favorites and cheating other bands out of paying gigs by picking my band just because I'm family. He wanted it to be fair and square, so he let his roomie choose and stayed out of it. A roomie who, might I add, hadn't met me before. So my group was just another band to choose from." He grinned smugly. "And we still got the job. We kicked the other bands asses!"

A doubtful frown spread across her face. "Are you sure that's why Will did it? To be fair? Maybe he did it because..." she hesitated here. Her first thoughts went to how Will had treated George. But then, Red was his family, so maybe there was the slightest chance that he and Will actually got along. Finally, after mulling over it a bit longer, she just said, "Well, I don't know. You two just seem very... different."

"What, you think he's ashamed of me or something? Ch'yah right. As stuffy as he can be, he's an alright guy. And Will loves me, even if I'm a pain in the neck most of the time. You, Liz doll, need to have more faith in the guy."

Liz was perfectly happy with the amount of faith she had in Will: slim to none. But she decided to just keep her mouth shut on that subject, deciding to leave it at, "If you say so. So, have you been singing in your band for long?"

His eyes lit up. "Now you're getting into the good stuff. My humble tale begins back at the dawn of time, or, as some less interesting people might call it, my high school days. A few buddies and I decided to start a group, and we ingeniously called ourselves The Raging Armadillos. Classy, right? Anyway, what we made was not so much music and more just random, earsplitting noises. The neighbors really hated us, let me tell you. This one time, they-"

"Robert, what _are_ you talking so animatedly about over there?" Miss De Bourgh's cool, crisp voice cut through the air, interrupting his story.

He discretely grimaced, then answered, "Nothing, _Ma'am_. Just my band and music, _Ma'am_." Each time he said 'ma'am', it was through gritted teeth and drawn out, as if there were another four letter word he would prefer to be calling her; a much less respectful one.

"Ah, music," Miss De Bourgh exhaled happily. "Such a delightful thing, music is. There is no greater connoisseur of music than I, nor anyone with greater taste. Why, just the other day, an acquaintance of mine was telling me what a charming ear I had for music. 'Madam De Bourgh,' he said, 'you have a charming ear for music,' his exact words. If I had been a musician of the arts, I would have been a grand one. The same would go for singing; had I taken the time to train, I would have had the voice of a nightingale."

"Or the squawk of an ostrich," Red muttered, Liz being the only one close enough to hear. She snorted, more loudly than she intended.

This drew Miss De Bourgh's attention. The older woman stared icily at her for a minute, then spoke to Liz for the first time since before the men had arrived. "Do you enjoy the elegance that is music, Miss Elizabeth?"

Liz resisted the urge to glance around to make sure she was the one De Bourgh was talking to. _So, she deemed me worthy of notice once more, hm?_ She answered slowly, "I am. Quite a fan, actually."

"I'm sure," she acknowledged disdainfully. "And do you practice any instruments?"

"Er, no, not really. I use to take piano lessons a long time ago, but I was never any good."

Her lip curled into a tiny smile, as if she were the cat that had caught the canary. "Excellent choice. The piano is a fine instrument for any young person to learn. I am quite eager to hear you play. Why don't you have a seat at the piano over there and entertain us for a while."

Liz's eyes followed where Miss De Bourgh's hand was gesturing to see that, indeed, there was a piano in the far corner of the room. How she had missed it, she was not quite sure. Perhaps the gaudy colors of the room had distracted her too much. Glancing back at Miss De Bourgh, Liz said, "When I said I wasn't any good, I meant it. Maybe there's one or two songs I know, but nothing you'd want to hear. Trust me, you don't want me anywhere near that piano."

Waving a hand as if to hush Liz's objections, Miss De Bourgh responded with a voice that was sickeningly sweet, "Oh, don't be modest, dear. I'm sure you are a wonderful pianist. Please, go play us a few melodies."

"But I'm not-"

"Humor me," Miss De Bourgh interrupted her with a snap, all honey sweetness gone from her words. "It would be _rude_ to deny me this simple request, child."

Liz narrowed her eyes at the woman. _She wants me to play? Fine, I'll play._ With a barely audible huff, she rose from her seat and stomped over to the piano, noticing all eyes were on her as she went. Good, she'd give them a show. A nice loud one. She took a seat at the bench and flashed everyone a bright grin before lifting her hands to perform the masterpiece she had in mind.

_Chopsticks_, for those who do not know it, is a quaint little tune most children learn in kindergarten, if not earlier. It is often played with only the use of both index fingers, which hit the keys with a brisk, chopping motion. The sound, while pleasant to some, can seem childish, primitive, and lacking in any kind of sophistication to others. In other words, a tune that Miss De Bourgh would not find fit to grace the halls of her dear Rosings Park. Yet grace them it did, for that was what Liz played as of this moment, her fingers slamming into the keys rapidly, causing the piano to noisily clang out each note.

There were a mixture of reactions, ranging from none whatsoever - Anne - to a scandalized look of confusion and annoyance - Miss De Bourgh. In between, there was Charlotte's gasp that was muffled by her hand over her mouth, Red laughing so hard he nearly fell out of his seat, and a strangled snort coming out of Will. Liz guessed that it may have been him attempting to hide his own laugh, and failing. She could not be absolutely sure however, for she was still quite busy playing her melody of 'refined taste.'

"What is that _dreadful_ racket?" Miss De Bourgh scoffed in Liz's direction.

Sobering himself, Red hopped up from his seat and quickly said, "I'm sure everything is alright, Ma'am. Elizabeth is probably just warming up. I'm guessing its been a while since she last played. I think I'll join her and help her remember a few of the better pieces."

"Please do," the older woman answered, rubbing a finger into her temple, likely to clear up an oncoming headache.

When she saw Red approaching, Liz abruptly stopped playing and smiled proudly. "I play pretty," she stated in a mock childlike voice.

"That you do," he replied with a smile of his own as he took a seat next to her. "But it would probably be better if I took it over from here. Shh, don't tell anyone, we'll just pretend it's you playing." As he spoke, he placed both hands on the keys and began to play something that was much more soothing and complex.

"Good idea," Liz murmured as she placed her hands before her and mimed playing the piano. Glancing up through her lashes, she saw that Miss De Bourgh had lost interest now that she heard music that was more to her liking. She had turned to those that had remained with her and was beginning another conversation, probably about what a great composer she would have been, or the like. Liz returned her attention back to the boy sitting next to her. "So, you play piano as well as sing."

He nodded, "Mhmm. I've also dabbled a bit with guitar, drums, trumpet, flute, saxophone, banjo... pretty much name it, and I've played it. If I haven't, then I soon will rectify that."

"Wow, you're joking, right?" If he was not pulling her leg, Liz was impressed.

"Nope. I can play them all. Now ask me if I play them all_well_, and you'll get a different answer," he chuckled, not looking up from the keys. "But I just figure, why concentrate on only one instrument? With so many out there, how can someone limit themselves to just one? I know I can't. Sure, I mainly concentrate on my singing, but that doesn't have to stop me from fooling around with something new in my free time."

Liz agreed with a nod, then looked up at the other group again. With a start, she realized that Will joined them at the piano. Liz strained her neck to look past him. Miss De Bourgh, for now, had not seemed to notice his departure, for she was in a deep discussion with Charlotte. Returning her attention to Will, Liz found him watching her, expression as unreadable as ever. Slowly, a satirical grin spread across her face. She raised her hands so they could be seen above the piano and wiggled her fingers in the air. Obviously, the music kept playing. "Look, Will. No hands."

His mouth twitched, a smirk that was gone before it was fully realized. "You better not let Catherine see that. After your performance earlier, you're already on thin ice with her. Knowing her, she was probably seconds away from calling the cops to haul you off."

"I wasn't that bad," Liz stated with a shake of her head.

"Ooh," Red half chuckled, half muttered, "you were_that_ bad."

She narrowed her eyes at him, then snorted. "Well, even if I was, what's a few cops? I could of taken them. Besides, why should she hold a grudge? " Staring down at the keys, she carefully avoided looking at Will as she grudgingly continued, "I'd think Will would have more right to be angry at me than she does."

"I guess I'm just more forgiving than she is," she heard Will respond, seeing him shrug out of the corner of her eye. "You were confused. It was a mistake... a very opinionated mistake, but I'm used to that from you."

Her eyes snapped up to fully look at him once more, to which Will's only response was another shrug. _Is that how you want to play it, hm?_ she thought, a wicked grin forming on her lips. "Red, your cousin would have you think that I make an idiot of myself, like today, on a daily basis. And I'm sure he has enough stories about me to back those words up."

Glancing up at Will, Red grinned, "You do, Will? Why haven't I heard any of these, have you been holding out on me?"

Rolling her eyes, Liz continued, "But two can play at that game: I have a quite few stories of my own about him. Wouldn't you like me to share?"

"I'm down. I like hearing about anytime Will makes an ass out of himself, makes for good blackmail material later," he informed her, as his tune on the piano turned to a faster tempo.

"Well, one of my personal favorites was when we first met. It was at a party on campus..." Liz slyly watched Will as she spoke. She saw him pale and his eyes slightly widen. _Oh yes, you know exactly what I'm thinking of, don't you? You remember what you said about me. I heard. You know I heard._ Her smile grew as she watched him squirm momentarily. _But no, that'd just be mean to bring up now,_ she decided after a pause. Instead, she merely said, "He was so antisocial, it was almost humiliating just to watch him. He was simply a wallflower, not talking to anyone, not dancing... just skulking around and glaring at anything that crossed his path."

Will visibly relaxed at her words, responding, "I was never one for parties."

"It's true," Red added with a nod. "Our Will is no social butterfly. Still, sounds like he was worse than usual that night."

"I was in a bad mood," Will mumbled. "I don't like parties when I'm in a bad mood."

"Then you must never like parties," Liz derived.

Red laughed at that. "Sounds about right."

"I like parties sometimes," Will answered defensively. "Just at most parties, there are a lot of people I don't know. I... have a hard time talking to people I don't know."

"Well, how do you expect to get any better at it if you just stare at the wall while everyone else is having a good time?" Liz questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You have to practice, just like anything else. Just like I should have kept practicing the piano when I was younger," she shot the instrument a sour look. She pressed a few keys at her end, causing Red to break off playing abruptly. "If I had kept it up, I... well, I probably still wouldn't be a musical genius, but I would have at least been able to play decently."

Will stared at her silently for a second, then made his way around the piano to stand behind where she sat. He then leaned over her, reaching his hands past each of her shoulders, causing Liz to glance between his arms then look up at him confusedly.

Without looking down at her, he placed his hands on the piano's keyboard and began to perform an intricate piece. Liz felt uncomfortable with the fact that she seemed more interested in the fact that she could feel his body heat on her back than in the music he was playing. It was a short piece, however, for he was done less than a minute later. "Some things," he murmured, as he straightened up again - Liz noting the absence of his warmth as he backed away - "are easier to practice than others."

Liz at first was unable to speak, but not because of what he had done or said. That tune he had played had sounded familiar... where had she heard it before? Suddenly, it hit her and she pointed a finger at him. "You're Mozart!"

He blinked at her, then ran a finger through his long blond hair as he said, "I'm good, but not that good."

"I'll say," Red grumbled, taking up his earlier melody once more that had been so rudely interrupted before.

"No, no," Liz said quickly, shaking your head. "I mean, you're that person I used to hear playing the piano when I ate at Porter's dining hall... I always used to hear you, but never saw you. I just named you Mozart."

"Ah... I see," Will said slowly. He was clear he could not think of much else to say to that, besides, "I did practice there a lot."

She was quiet for a moment, wondering at this turn of events. The mysterious piano player that she had come to adore over the past few months... was Will. What were the odds? And how did she feel about that? She was not really sure.

It was a while before she realized she was staring, mouth hanging open a little, at Will. Flushing with embarrassment, Liz hastily said, "Anyway, it doesn't matter whether some things are easier or harder to practice than others. That doesn't change the fact that if you work at it, you'll get better with time. You should try talking to people more."

"You should," Red agreed, glancing over his shoulder at his cousin, still playing perfectly and not missing a key. "I'm sure a lot of people want to get to know you and would like you. Well... a lot of people want to get to know you, at least." He smirked.

Will shot a glare between the two of them. "Hey, I didn't come over here to have my social life criticized."

"Then why did you come over here?" Liz asked innocently.

He did not seem to have an answer for her, or did not want to share it if he did, for his mouth remained stubbornly clamped shut. However, he was saved from having to respond, for seconds later Miss De Bourgh called across the room in a shrill voice, demanding their attention. Apparently, it was time for dinner.

* * *

Liz crumpled into the soft, plush bed a few hours later with a satisfied grunt, burying her face into the pillow. _That_, she mused tiredly, _had to have been one of the longest dinners of all time._ She was not quite sure whether it was really all that long or if it had just seemed that way. Time just seems to stretch out to unbearable lengths when you have someone judging and sneering at your every move, which Liz had had to deal with from the old hag De Bourgh.

_Oh well, only have to deal with it for... how long? I know I'm at least here through Christmas. Better not be too long after that, or I'll kill something, I swear... I'll have to ask Charlotte later._ At least it would be easy to do that part: talking to Charlotte. Her friend had an adjoining room with Liz, so she was only a door away. And she was looking forward to seeing Charlotte while not in the presence of Miss De Bourgh, for when they were, Charlotte was a very different person. She was quiet, obedient - not at all like the trouble making Charlotte Liz had come to know. She seriously hoped this was not going to be a permanent change.

A sudden, sharp ringing broke her from her thoughts. Her cell phone! She hopped off the bed, glancing around the room she would call home for the holidays. Spotting her luggage, Liz jogged over to it and starting digging through it. She was pleased to find that none of the maids had unpacked things for her.

Closing her hand around her phone finally, Liz pulled it out and looked at the caller ID to find that Jane was calling. Smiling happily, she flipped it open and greeted, "Road Kill Cafe, you kill 'em, we grill 'em. How may I-"

_'Not now, Liz!'_ Jane interrupted her. Liz would have pouted - as ineffective as that would have been, since Jane would not be able to see it - but she noticed that her sister was sounding a lot cheerier than she had heard in the past few weeks. _'You'll never guess who I ran into today!'_

Liz bit her lip thoughtfully before replying, "The Pope's evil twin brother out to destroy the world's supply of cheese?"

_'Liz, don't make me promise to smack you when I get back.'_ They both knew she would never go through with it, but it was as good a threat as any. _'No, I bumped into Carol! Charlie's sister! While just walking down the street! Isn't that crazy?'_

"What a coink-a-dink," Liz responded blandly, not sharing in her sister's enthusiasm. At Jane's confused _'Huh?'_, she continued, "I ran into Will today. And I'm stuck with him for the next week or so."

_'What?'_ Jane cried, causing the phone's speaker to crackle a bit. _'Explain.'_

Liz switched the phone to her other ear as she flung herself onto the bed once more. "I don't know. Apparently the De Bourgh's go way back with the Darcy's. Will just happens to be vacationing here the same time I am. He brought his cousin along, who's pretty cool. You'd probably like him."

Jane let out a bemused,_'Ah...'_ followed by, _'Well, this is a funny coincidence.'_

"Oh, and apparently Will is engaged to Collin's sister."

_'I see... wait, huh?'_

Sitting up straight, Liz agreed, "I know, right? That was my reaction. Apparently, Charlotte thought she told me, but I never heard anything, did you?"

Liz was certain she could almost hear Jane shaking her head no as she answered, _'Not at all! And I'm certain that'd be something I remembered!'_

"Uh huh." Liz rested back into the pillow, satisfied that she was not the only one surprised. "Anyway, tell me about your own little run-in with Carol."

_'Alright... but we're coming back to this later! Anyway, I'll say that my meeting with Carol was nothing quite so... interesting as yours. But she did seem happy to see me, if not a bit surprised... which I was too, of course! And I found out that she was staying in town for a few days, getting some shopping done and stuff.'_ Jane paused, before adding almost shyly, _'Charlie is supposed to be here too.'_

Ah, that was why her sister had been so excited. Smiling, Liz asked, "Did you get to see him too?"

A wistful sigh could be heard from the phone. _'No. When I asked about him, Carol remembered that she was late for something and had to rush off.'_

"How convenient," Liz stated sarcastically.

_Don't start, you. I'm sure it was just bad timing. Besides, now that she knows I'm around, she said she'd give me a call so we could spend a day together. That'll be fun, and maybe...'_

"And maybe Charlie will be there too?" Liz filled in the blank, knowing her twin well. "Don't worry, Sis. I'm sure he's dying to see you too again."

_'Oh, Liz, I'm sure it's nothing like that. I'll just be happy to see another friend again.'_

Liz gave a loud snort. "Still going on about that 'friend' business junk, huh? Like I believe that for a second, not after what you went through when you thought you'd never see him again!" She did not get a response. She waited a few seconds, a frown growing on her face. "Jane? You still there? I didn't make you mad, did I? ...hello?" Nothing. Pulling the phone away from her ear, she looked at the display.

**Connection Lost**

It was then that Liz noticed that her signal kept varying between only one and two bars. She let out a soft harumph, snapped the phone shut, and tossed it onto the nightstand beside her. Figures the richest woman on the west coast would have poor reception.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Woo, another chapter done. Wish it had come out sooner, but finals kept me busy, then holiday shopping and the like kept me even busier. Finally got around to it tho, woohoo!

For those of you who have never heard _Chopsticks_ (I'm shocked!), I have a youtube of it linked on my personal page, so if you're curious, check it out. Side note, I discovered that _Chopsticks _actually derives from an older and much more classy song called _The Celebrated Chop Waltz_, which can also be found on youtube. Oh, the things you learn on wikipedia!

Anyway, I'd like to say my next chapter will be up in a week or two, but knowing me and my crazy schedules, I can't make any promises. Hopefully you'll be hearing from me soon tho, until then-


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Oh wow, do you believe? I know I don't! I have returned from the abyss to provide another chapter, whee! I have a good explanation for my absence this time, and I'm sure you'll all agree. But we'll get to that later! Until we meet again at the end of the chapter-

* * *

Chapter 17

"How about this one?"

Liz glanced at Red, who was grinning with barely contained glee, and at what he was holding up. She frowned with a roll of her eyes. "No, I do not think Miss De Bourgh would like a giant glass that says 'Sexy Bitch' on it as a Christmas present."

"Awww, come on, I'm sure our dear old Catherine would love it. You know what'd she say?" Red put the glass down as he altered the pitch of his voice higher in a perfect imitation of Miss De Bourgh's huffy, older woman tone. "Why, Miss Elizabeth, what a grand gift you have bestowed upon me. I'll have you know back in my younger years, many a fine gentlemen have called me a sexy bitch. 'My dear Lady Catherine,' Sean Connery once said, 'you are one sexy bitch.' His exact words."

Laughing so hard that she almost dropped her shopping bags, Liz shook her head. "Oh, I'm sure that's exactly what she would say. But, I'll keep looking, thanks."

"Fine, see if I ever help you again," Red responded, but despite the hurt sound of his words, he winked mischievously at her before disappearing down another aisle full of crude oddities.

"Hey, Liz, I found the perfect one for De Bourgh!" Charlotte called from the other side of the store.

Wondering what it was going to be this time, Liz wondered in the direction of her friend's voice. She was greeted with a poster of a very large, muscular, suggestively posed man in a very tiny, glittery rainbow thong. Charlotte peeked out from behind it with a large smile that showed all her teeth. "Huh, huh? What d'yah think?"

Smacking her own forehead, Liz answered, "I think I was crazy for letting you guys drag me into Spencer's."

"But, but...! I think it's just what she needs! She's getting on in years and is getting lonely... what better way to ease her loneliness than a picture of a nice hunk of man meat hanging on her wall, hmmm?"

"I'll be waiting outside until you guys are done, okay?" Liz turned and walked out of the store while Charlotte hastily rolled up the poster once more.

There were only a few days left before Christmas and thus, more importantly, only a few days left for last minute holiday shopping. The malls were a nightmare, being packed beyond capacity with frenzied parents trying to get their children the latest talking and singing toy and frantic boyfriends trying to find the perfect gift that would appease their girlfriends, that is at least until Valentine's Day. With everyone elbowing everyone else, screaming kids, and that too damn cheery Christmas music that was always blaring from the speakers, a mall would be the last place on earth Liz would want to be this time of year. That is why she always got her Christmas shopping done early every year, including this one. Her gifts to her family were in the mail, including one on the way to Jane while she stayed with their Aunt and Uncle. She had already exchanged presents with her roommates before everyone had left for the break. And Charlotte's was nestled safely in one of Liz's bags back in her room at Rosings Park. That should have covered it, or so she had thought. But apparently, she had thought wrong.

No one had told her that she should have bought presents for the De Bourgh family as well. She barely knew them, and hardly expected any of them to have gone out of their way to buy her a gift. Sure, she was spending the holidays with them, but she thought there was just some silent, mutual agreement to not exchange gifts between them. But Charlotte had informed her of quite the opposite; not only had they bought gifts for Liz, but expected gifts in return. They would find it rude and extremely offensive if Liz had not thought to do the same.

Thus, Liz found herself at the closest mall, wading through the hellhole in an attempt to find presents for people she did not really know or particularly like. Charlotte had come along, mostly because she was Liz's ride, but partly to help her decide what to get the De Bourghs. Red had joined in too because he was bored stiff at the house.

Liz let out a soft sigh of relief as she finally worked her way out of the customer-jammed Spencer's. She stopped midstep, however, when she saw Will sitting on one of the mall's many benches, arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently.

Oh yeah, he had tagged along too.

Though Liz had no idea why. So far, he had not bought a single thing. He had not even entered any stores, instead choosing to wait outside whenever the rest of them found a place they wanted to look around in. He did not seem to be enjoying himself either, so he could hardly be here for the atmosphere.

Suddenly, Spencer's was not looking so bad. It was crowded, stuffy, and lacking in any kind of appropriate gift, but that seemed preferable to standing around with Will in what would most likely be awkward silence. As Liz weighed her options, she was saved from having to make a decision as Charlotte appeared at her side, hooking her arm with Liz's. "Shall we keep looking then, Miss Eliza?" She questioned as she pulled her friend along.

"Sure, as long as you only suggest serious gifts from now on. I don't want to spend any longer here then I have to."

"They were serious gifts," chimed in Red, who had appeared on the other side of Liz. Liz noted that Will was silently walking behind the three of them as Red continued, "I seriously thought you should give them to ol' Catty. I still think you should have gone with the glass."

Snorting, Liz said, "Tell you what, I'll keep that in mind and if I can't find _anything_ else better to give her, maybe I'll consider-"

"Wait, scratch that idea," Red interrupted her excitedly as he caught sight of something in one of the windows they were walking by. Grabbing Liz's free arm, he yanked her towards the window, bringing Charlotte stumbling along as well since her arm was still linked in Liz's. "Just found something a whole lot better!"

Liz glanced up at the store's sign, and realized it was a lingerie shop. She was almost too afraid to look when Red stopped them in front of the window and energetically pointed at something on the other side of it. But look she did and she wished she had not.

"No."

"What? How can you say no?"

"Like this: _No._"

As Charlotte began to shake with laughter beside Liz, Red argued, "But look! It's top of the line! It has ten different settings, including the popular Bucking Bronco."

"You have to admit, Liz," Charlotte wheezed between laughs, "that it might... loosen her up a bit, if ya know what I'm saying."

"You two are disgusting. I can't believe they even put stuff like that on display, where little kids can see it," Liz groaned as she pushed away from the window, trying not to smile. Despite what she said, she wanted to laugh along with them. Not wanting to encourage them though, she kept on a firm face. "Didn't I say I wanted only serious gifts from now on?"

Charlotte caught up to Liz to walk beside her once more. "Okay, okay, I'm done for now. I will be nothing but helpful from now on."

"You're no fun," Red called from behind them, now walking beside Will. The latter had kept quiet through the whole thing and, as far as anyone could tell, had not even been paying attention.

The four of them continued along, the girls eyeing the stores as they made their way through the sea of people. It was not long before Charlotte and Liz were in front of a jewelry shop with the boys standing not too far off.

"Really? You think this is the way to go?" Liz asked doubtfully as she scanned the jewelry that glittered and twinkled back at her through the window glass. "I mean, Miss De Bourgh already has a ton of necklaces and rings, probably way more expensive then all of this junk."

Charlotte shrugged. "Well, like you said, she already has a lot, so you know she likes it. And so what if the stuff she already owns is mega pricey, it's not like she's expecting you to get her the Crown Jewels. She did think you were a servant's kid after all, so I doubt she thinks you have that much money to spend. Besides, what do you care whether she likes it or not? Just fulfill your obligation to buy the old witch a gift and be done with it."

Liz chuckled at her friend. "I'm sure your husband-to-be would be so pleased with the way you talk about his mother." Charlotte just shrugged again in response.

A ringing came from Liz's pocket just then, her phone letting her know she had an incoming call. She dug it out, her face lighting up when she saw who the caller was. Flipping it open, she said, "Jane, darling, how marvelous it is of you to call me!"

_'Hello, Liz,'_ came a less than chipper reply from the other end of the line.

Frowning, Liz immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

Jane let out a long sigh. _'I finally saw Carol today.'_

"Finally...? You mean, you two haven't met up since you last mentioned her? That was over a week ago."

_'Don't I know it,'_ Jane grumbled, sounding far more disheartened than Jane should ever sound. _'I've been checking my phone constantly ever since she said she'd give me a call. And I didn't want to somehow miss it, so I've been avoiding going anywhere that forced me to turn off my phone, like the movies. I almost gave her a call, but I didn't want to bother her if she was busy.'_

Shaking her head, Liz stated, "That's what a phone is for: bothering people. That's why telemarketers and annoying parents were invented. Anyway, go on."

_'So, I finally get a call from her today to meet up for lunch. It was completely last minute and she said she wanted to meet in 10 minutes at some French cafe I'd never heard of. When I mentioned that it was kind of short notice, she said we could reschedule it for another day, though she didn't know when she could find the time. So of course, I said that she didn't need to do that and that I'd be there. So I left and ended up being 20 minutes late just trying to find the place. And when I got there...'_

"And when you got there..." Liz urged on when Jane paused.

Another sigh could be heard. _'Oh, Liz, it was awful. The cafe was outdoors and I forgot to bring a jacket, so I was freezing the entire time. And everything on the menu there was really high-priced. I ended up with a ten-dollar water and an empty stomach. Carol was annoyed that I was late and acted angry the entire time I was there. I get the feeling she didn't even really want to talk to me. She wound up staying less than half an hour before she left with hardly a good bye. And...'_ she paused again here, embarrassment coloring her silence. _'...he wasn't there.'_

Liz knew immediately who this 'he' was. "Carol didn't say anything about Charlie?"

_'Oh, she did, but it wasn't very clear. Something about him being too busy or maybe not in town at the moment or... something, I don't know.'_

"I bet I know, or at least, I know someone who knows," Liz muttered, turning a glance in Will's direction. He knew the truth, he had to. And Liz planned on having a little chat with him later to get it out of him.

Will noticed Liz staring - or rather, glaring - in his direction, and turned his head to raise an eyebrow at her. Liz suddenly felt a strong urge to angrily stick her tongue out at him. She quelled the feeling however and went back to staring at the jewelry. Jane had begun talking again and it took a second for Liz to catch up on what she had said.

_' -just can't believe that Carol would be mean on purpose, it just doesn't make any sense. She must just have been having a bad day or something.'_

Liz cooed into the phone, "Oh, Janey, just keep telling yourself that. Whatever makes you feel better. I, on the other hand, suffer from no such delusions."

_'Whatever... I don't want to talk about it anymore. Tell me something happy, Liz.'_

"Hmmm... Miss De Bourgh choked to death on her soup," Liz offered brightly. At Jane's surprised sputtering, Liz continued, "At least, in my dreams she did. Sadly, the real one is alive and kicking."

Jane snapped crossly, _'Liz! Don't even joke about something like that! It'd be terrible if she died.'_

Rolling her eyes, Liz grumbled, "Oh come off it, you don't even know her. If you did, you'd be contemplating murder too while wondering around this overcrowded mall, looking for a Christmas present to buy her."

_'Oh, you're getting her a present? That's nice of you!'_ Jane approved, completely missing the malice in Liz's voice.

"There is nothing _nice_ about it. I'm being forced to buy her something 'cause she's gotten me something. I probably don't even want whatever it is."

_'Still, I think this is great. Maybe it'll give you two a chance to become friends.'_ Liz winced in disgust at her sister's words. _'What are you getting her?'_

"I haven't really decided yet," Liz responded, glancing back through the window in front of her. "I was looking at some jewelry - Charlotte's suggestion. But I don't know... I lot of this stuff looks tacky... and I don't need Miss De Bourgh going on and on about how gaudy and ugly my..." she trailed off as her eyes fell on a particular necklace. "Well, that ones actually kind of nice," she muttered into the phone, while pointing it out to Charlotte.

Jane laughed slyly, _'Oh, really? I never thought of you as a girl who liked to accessorize. What is it, what's it look like?'_

As Charlotte gave it a scrutinizing look from all angles - pressing her nose against the glass to do so - Liz said, "It's a necklace. The pendant is small, no bigger than a thumb nail. It's kind of tear drop shaped, and kind of looks like its rippling out from the center, like in a pond. There's a small emerald in the center, and tiny, almost not visible diamonds bordering it. I can only tell they're there because of the glitter around the emerald. And let's see... the plaque says the chain and pendant are crafted from white gold." Liz paused in thought. Like her sister had said, she had never been one for jewelry. However, she decided, "It's nice. Simple, but elegant."

Charlotte gave her the thumbs up and Jane answered, _'It does sound pretty. Maybe that's the one you should get for Miss De Bourgh.'_

Liz made a face at the very idea. "Oh please, De Bourgh is used to having gems the size of fist adorning her body, she wouldn't find this little bauble worthy to grace her neck. No, I'm not going to subject this poor, defenseless little necklace to her wrath." Glancing at the price tag, Liz grimaced. "It's way over my budget for this Christmas anyway. In fact, it's way over the budget for the next ten Christmases."

_'Well, it was just a thought. Keep looking, I'm sure there's some other necklace in your price range.'_

"Maybe," Liz responded doubtfully, looking from one price tag to the next. Each one was more expensive than the last. Stifling a curse as someone jostled her in the back, Liz said, "Listen, Jane. I'm going to call you back later. I need to concentrate on this so I can get out of this damn mall as soon as possible."

_'Alright, but call me back soon, okay?'_

"Will do. Buh-bye," Liz said, before snapping her phone shut and putting it way. She scanned the rings, brooches, and necklaces for a few seconds longer before shaking her head. "I think I should keep looking, Charlotte. This place is just a little out of my league."

Her friend just smiled before pulling her away from the window. "No problem, we'll find something that'll work, there's still plenty of mall left."

"Joy," Liz mumbled sarcastically. She got one last glimpse over her shoulder of the necklace with the emerald before it disappeared amongst the sparkle of the rest of the jewels.

"Listen," Charlotte muttered quietly to Liz, pulling her attention away from the window they were leaving behind, "we have to lose the boys."

"What?" Liz asked confusedly. It took her a second to remember that Will and Red were still with them, walking along not to far behind the two girls. "Why?"

Charlotte pulled her closer, whispering, "I still haven't bought them presents, so now would be a good time to if we can get rid of them. So just play along." She came to a stop and turned to face Red and Will. "Guys, you'll have to excuse us, we need to visit the little girls room."

Batting her eyes in feigned innocence, Liz added, "We must powder our noses and say nasty things about you behind your backs."

Grinning, Charlotte went on, "We may be a few minutes, so why don't you two continue on and we can meet back at the food court in, say, an hour?"

Red glanced at Will, then shrugged and smirked at them. "Sounds fine to me. Come on, Will." As the two of them walked past Charlotte and Liz, Red called over his shoulder, "Be sure the gift you buy me is something shiny, and wrap it with a big, festive bow, alright?"

"Shaddup!" Charlotte shouted after them, before turning to walk in the opposite direction. "Damn him, he wasn't supposed to know," she growled sourly.

"Well, you were rather obvious. The only thing missing was a giant, neon sign saying, 'Go away, I'm about to buy you something.'" Liz chuckled.

"Shush," was the only retort Charlotte could think off.

* * *

When everyone returned to Rosings Park a couple of hours later, Liz had a minor, but annoying headache. One too many kids squealing at the mall had gotten to her. She had retreated to her room in hopes that it would get better and in order to avoid any frustrating run-ins with the mistress of the house.

At least she had not come back empty handed. For Miss De Bourgh, she had gotten a ring from a different shop that had been within Liz's spending limit. It looked far more expensive than it actually was, but Liz doubted that would help one way or another. She fully expected Miss De Bourgh to have some sort of snarky comment about it. Whatever. For Collins, she had gotten book ends. She was sure he read, so that was good enough for her. And when she thought Collins, she thought: bookends, or something else suitably boring. For Anne, Liz had decided to get a used game for her portable player Anne was always engrossed with. Liz did not know if Anne already had this one or if she'd even like it, but Liz did not really care and she doubted Anne would either. Finally, she had gotten Red a gift too. A big, flashy hat that included leopard print. She thought it matched his personality and might be good to wear to his concerts. She had opted to not get anything for Will. She was one hundred percent positive that he would never waste money on any kind of gift for her, and that sat just fine with her.

Liz was now lying on her bed, flipping through the channels on a rather large TV, and had been for over an hour now. Of course, she had called Jane back first thing, but then had fallen back on this pastime. Her headache had receded a while ago, but that did not mean she wanted to leave the safety of this room, not while the De Bourgh Beast lurked somewhere out in the house. Unfortunately, daytime television was not providing her with much entertainment.

Just as Liz turned off the TV and was about to find something else to busy herself with, a knock came from the door adjoining her room and Charlotte's. Liz hollered, "Come in, it's open."

Charlotte entered, wearing a modest dress much like the one Liz had seen her wearing the first day they had come to Rosings Park. Actually, all the dresses Liz had seen Charlotte wear since they have arrived looked almost exactly the same, the biggest difference being color. This one was black, and she wore it with a glittering diamond necklace, the kind of necklace Liz was still unaccustomed to seeing on her friend. Add that to the elegant bun Charlotte's hair was weaved up into and she looked quite fancy. Liz let forth a low whistle, before teasing, "Well, aren't you all dolled up."

"Hmm?" Charlotte asked distractedly as she pulled on elbow length gloves that matched her dress. She looked at herself before responding, "Oh, that. Yah, don't remind me. Miss De Bourgh is taking me to the opera." Her face contorted unhappily.

"The opera? There's an opera near here?" Liz asked.

Charlotte shrugged. "Could be. If there is, it's not the one we're going to. We're being driven to an airport and then taking Miss De Bourgh's private jet there. Apparently it's not that far though, just a 30 minute plane ride, give or take."

"Ah," Liz acknowledged. Then she frowned as she sat up from her bed. "I didn't know there was going to be an opera. Why wasn't I invited?"

Her friend raised an eyebrow at her. "It's just going to be Miss De Bourgh, Collin, Anne, Will and me. Besides, it's the _opera_. I didn't think you'd want to go. I know I don't."

Liz thought about it for a second, then smiled. "You're right, I don't. Thanks!"

"Yeah, you owe me big for getting you out of this. Red was supposed to go too, but that lucky jerk somehow got out of it. Said he had some previous plans with friends. I really doubt he knows anyone here though. Oh well, he's off gallivanting around somewhere."

She nodded, then said slowly, "So then... that means I'll have this place all to myself?"

"Well, yeah," Charlotte said, "if you don't count the servants. But they like to stay hidden, so basically you have free reign of the house. Don't break anything."

Liz smirked, placing her hand in the air to pledge, "I won't, scouts honor."

Charlotte snorted, "You were never a scout. Just try to keep the house in one piece, please?"

"You got it!" Liz chirped.

"Alright. If you get hungry, the cook has the rest of the day off, so just call any nearby food place that delivers and tell them to put it on Miss De Bourgh's tab. Well, we're leaving in ten minutes, so I better finish getting ready. See you later."

"Have fun," Liz called and waved as Charlotte exited the room. She was already forming plans. It was not every day a girl like her had a mansion like this at her disposal. Or an unlimited supply of food at her command, for that matter. There was going to be a lot of food delivered tonight, that was for sure. Lots and lots of food. A mountain a food. Maybe even some cake. Oh yes... there would be cake.

But first, she wanted to do some exploring. Thinking back to when she had first arrived here, she remembered a hall attached to the foyer that had drawn her attention, a hall with colorful light reflecting off its walls. Miss De Bourgh, later that day, had told her that it lead to a room that contained many fragile and expensive things. She had also said Liz was not allowed to enter that part of the house ever, under threat of being kicked out of the house. Liz had not been too frightened by her warning, but she did not want to get Charlotte in trouble, so regretfully she had turned her back on the mysterious hall.

But Miss De Bourgh was not going to be around to stop her now.

As soon as Liz heard a car leaving the driveway a few minutes later, she bolted out of her room and ran down the stairs, taking two at a time. The way she ran with the tiny look of delight on her face, one would think it was already Christmas morning... and that Liz was eight years old.

She slowed down as she landed in the foyer, now practically sneaking towards the hall and looking around as she did so. She doubted that the servants would stop her if they saw her, but she still felt safer making sure she was alone. All seemed quiet and still, so Liz urged her feet down the tempting hallway.

There was no door to open at the end of the hall, just a square archway that Liz passed through quietly, though she stopped in awe almost immediately after entering. The room was filled with, as Miss De Bourgh has said, fragile and expensive things. Statues, paintings, tapestries, decorated vases and several other things that she could not categorize or even identify - all of it filled this room. Sculptures made of many things, among which were gold, marble, glass - which explained the colorful lights in the hallway, as the sun would hit these glass pieces just right to paint rainbows across the walls. Liz was enchanted, walking around in almost a daze as she explored. She had always loved any form of art, old or new, pretty or ugly. Just seeing the expression and passion behind a person's artwork always intrigued her.

Liz found herself being drawn to a particular statuette sitting no more than two feet tall on top of a pedestal. It depicted a man and a woman. The man was on his knees, with his arms hugging the other's waist and looking up at her, begging her for something apparently. The woman, on the other hand, was standing with her arms spread above her head and staring back at the man, a rather smug look on her face. As Liz came closer, she saw that the woman was not quite normal. She had no feet; instead, her legs gradually transformed into what looked like a tree trunk rooting itself into the ground. The tips of her fingers seemed to be growing several long, spindly branches. And her hair appeared to be turning into leaves that coiled around each other and down her back.

The leaves themselves looked so fragile, it was a wonder that they had not broken off already. Without thinking, Liz slowly, tentatively began to reach out for one of the leaves.

"You know, you really shouldn't be touching that."

Liz yelped in surprise and in her panic, accidentally bumped into the statue in question. A second yelp escaped her lips as she saw it begin to topple and she snapped out her hands to catch it. Yet she was not fast enough, it was already out of her reach. Just as it was about to teeter past the point of no return however, it suddenly stopped precariously on the corner of its base. Liz looked at it in confusion for a second before she realized her was another hand, not her own, steadying it. As the hand settled the statuette into its rightful place, Liz's gaze followed the arm attached to it to find Will standing beside her.

"And that is why you shouldn't touch," he said mildly, eyeing the statue critically. Once he was satisfied there was nothing out of place about it, he pulled his hand back and took a bite out of an apple he was carrying in the other.

Liz gawked at him in silence for a few seconds. Then she finally managed to ask incredulously, "What are you doing here?"

He stopped in midbite of the apple to stare at her blankly. Clearing his throat, he said, "I'd thought we'd already covered this. I'm a friend of the family. The Darcys and the De Bourghs go-"

"No no, that's not what I meant!" Liz cut him off. "I meant what are you doing here _now_, in this room, at this exact moment? I thought you were out, at the opera with the others."

"Oh, that," seeming somewhat relieved, he went back to working on his snack. "I didn't want to go."

She tilted her head in slight disbelief. "So then, you just... didn't go?"

"Looks that way."

"Oh. Okay then." Liz had not much else to say to that. As explanations went, it was not a very good one and did not allow for a lot of follow up. She did manage a bemused, "Decided you wanted an apple, eh?"

"Apparently. There's more in the kitchen, if you want one," he offered.

"No thanks," she mumbled distractedly. Liz could already feel disappointment setting in. So much for having the entire house to herself. And no more mountain of food in her near future. Maybe she could still have cake though...

Liz was torn from her thoughts by the sound of Will's voice. "So, you like this one, I take it?" He was indicating the sculpture of the man and the tree woman.

"Hm? Oh... yeah, I like it a lot. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I've always had a soft spot for anything with a theme of the magical, mythical, or fantastic. I also really like their expressions, especially the woman's."

"It's portraying Apollo and Daphne," he explained.

Recognition dawned on her. "That makes sense. Cupid made Apollo fall in love with Daphne, but at the same time he made sure Daphne would be repelled by him. When Apollo professed his love for her, she ran. But he gave chase, so she called out for her father, a river god, to save her. In answer, her father turned her into a tree."

"Correct," Will responded, "all except for one thing. Apollo wasn't the only one Daphne was repelled by, she detested all men and all forms of love."

Liz frowned. "Well, I wasn't wrong," she stated, slightly irked. "I just left a detail out, the story's still the same. Whatever the exact circumstances were, Daphne did _not_ like Apollo." Pointing at the woman in the carving, she added, "In fact, she seems quite proud of herself for having eluded him. She practically looks like she's saying, 'Neener, neener, neener.'"

Will did one of his half grins that Liz thought looked somehow cold. "I don't think they knew the word 'neener' back then."

She just provided a light harrumph in response before the two fell quiet, looking around at other artwork in the room. Now that she was over the initial shock of Will being here, she had begun contemplating ways to ditch him. However, the devious gears in her mind came to a grinding halt when she remembered something. She still wanted to see if he knew anything about Charlie's whereabouts and if Caroline was up to anything. He might even be able to provide a little insight into their sudden departure at the end of Fall quarter. She did not really want to spend more time with Will than was necessary, but she did what she must. If nothing else, this was for Jane's sake.

"So!" Liz piped up loudly and cheerily, causing Will to start. "How goes the whole new college... thing? I heard there were a lot for you guys to choose from, have you made a decision yet?" She was attempting to sound friendly and genuinely interested, not like she was just trying to work her way to specific information. However, Liz was oblivious to the fact that this was the sweetest, most sugar-coated voice she had ever used with Will, or probably towards any other person. It would have made anyone a little nervous.

Apple in hand - now nothing more than a core - Will scratched the back of his neck with the other and he responded hesitantly, "Well... no actually. We've narrowed it down, but there's still a few more we want to check out before anything is decided."

"_Real_ly?" Liz questioned, stretching out the first syllable of the word. "Interesting. It's getting closer to when Winter term will start, I'd think you'd have had this worked out by now. Wouldn't want your slots to fill up with other applicants."

"Oh, they won't replace us," Will assured her with a shrug, still casting Liz an uncertain look. "The Darcys and Bingleys have always been large supporters and donators to these universities. Our slots will be left untouched."

Liz suppressed the urge to scowl by smiling wider. That did not seem fair to her, what if some intelligent kid needed that slot but was denied just because he was not quite as rich as Will? Just one more thing to add to the 'Will's A Jerk' list. Deciding to move this along, she just said brightly, "Well, isn't that just fortunate for you? But tell me, Will, do you have any opinion of any of the schools in Berkeley?"

He blinked at her as he said slowly, "Well, as a matter of fact, there are a few we're interested in there. Carol is actually there at the moment looking at them."

Ha! This was the opening she had been looking for. She took a careful step closer, as if she were beginning to close in on her prey. "You don't say? Well, what a funny coincidence! Jane has been staying in Berkeley with family for the past week. Did you know that?"

As Liz mentioned her sister's name, Will stiffened. Oh, he definitely knew something. She took another step. Will suddenly seemed very interested in painting of some fancy lady in a billowing dress as he answered quietly, "No, I did not. Funny."

"No? Well, that's strange!" She cocked her head back in over exaggerated confusion. "Because I talked to Jane recently on the phone, and she said she ran into Carol. They even had lunch together. I'm surprised Carol hasn't told you. Have you two talked?"

He cleared his throat, not taking his eyes off the painting and, still just as quietly, said, "Briefly. She may have mentioned it, could have possibly slipped my mind."

_Or you could possibly be defending Carol and whatever nefarious plot she has to keep Charlie and my sister apart!_ Liz's mind accused. Still, she continued to smile pleasantly and still inched forward. "And what about Charlie? Haven't heard _anything_ about him, is he in Berkeley with his sister?" Though he was avoiding looking at her, Liz could definitely see something behind Will's eyes. Guilt? Had to be... oh yes, she had him right where she wanted him.

"Do you hear that?" Will suddenly said, much louder than he had been talking. He glanced at one of the room's large, curtained windows. "Sounds like a car just pulled in."

"Don't try to change the subject, you-" she stopped, registering his words. "Wait, what did you say?" Alarmed, she dashed to the window, muttering, "No, no, no" repeatedly. When she peaked between the curtains, her chant of no's turned into a chant of a more obscene word. There sat Miss De Bourgh's car, the one she had left in not too long ago, and stepping out of it was none other than Miss De Bourgh herself.

What was she doing back already? The opera, including plane flight, could not have been _that_ short. It did not matter, she had to get out of here and fast. She turned from the window to run only to crash directly into Will.

"Wha-?" Will began, but Liz had already steadied herself and in her frenzied state, grabbed Will by the cuff of his sleeve and started running out of there, dragging Will behind her and hardly even realizing it.

"No time, have to leave," she said hurriedly.

"Wait, I dropped the apple core when you ran into me," Will said, easily bringing both him and Liz to a halt, despite her desperate tugs to get out of there.

Sighing, Liz let go and ran back for the core. As she picked it up, she looked around wildly and the first thing she laid eyes on was a black urn bigger than she was with a colorfully painted oriental dragon coiling around it. However, he was not looking at the master craftsmanship or the detailed artwork. She marched up to it, stood on her tippy toes and stretched her arm high over her head to neatly place the core in the opening. A surprised, "What the-" escaped from Will as a delightful thunk of the remains of the apple hit the bottom resounded from the urn.

"Happy now?" Liz asked, running back to and past a still shocked Will.

He shook himself and followed her down the hallway. "And why, may I ask, did you do that?"

"Did you have any better ideas?"

"Yeah. Simply take it with me and put it in a proper trash can," he responded blandly.

Liz rolled her eyes, but did not look at him, just kept running to get away from the scene of the crime as quickly as possible. "Oh sure, now you tell me," she muttered. She had never been known to work well under pressure.

She was almost home free, she could see the foyer barely a few feet in front of her. Just as she stepped foot in however, the sound of the front door opening brought her to a skidding stop. If Miss De Bourgh saw her anywhere near the hall, she was as good as caught. Having little elsewhere to go, Liz's feet scrabbled quickly on the tiled floor as she turned back the way she came. Barely managing to veer left to avoid running into Will again, Liz ran back down the hallway, once more out of sight of the foyer.

Now trapped between the front entrance and the forbidden room, Liz needed a plan. She needed to hide! Unfortunately, there were no large objects of any sort to use as cover in the hall - that is, besides Will, and Liz did not think that would work. There was, however, a small door that almost blended in with the white walls. Rushing over to it, Liz opened it to find a coat closet. It would have to do. Stepping into it, she turned to close the door, then stopped. Will was still standing there, staring at her with his head slightly tilted, as if he did not completely comprehend what was going on. Growling lowly in her throat, Liz knew she could not just leave me out there. It would be suspicious, Will staring at a closet. So, lacking time and the sense that often came with proper thinking, Liz enacted the most immediate solution she could muster. She grabbed a handful of Will's shirt and yanked him into the closet with her, pulling the door closed behind him.

There was silence. And darkness. Well... not complete darkness. Very dim lighting was seeping in around the edges of the door, mostly from directly underneath it. The closet was smaller that Liz had originally thought, but then again, she had only intended to fit herself in it at first. Yes, it was more cramped than one would think a closet in an estate of this size would be. The coats at the back of the closet had completely devoured their shoulders. Liz could stand comfortably in here, but Will had to hunch his shoulders a bit in order to keep his head from hitting the ceiling. Liz had pressed her back against one wall, and Will had pressed his against the opposite, mere inches between them.

"So... why are we in the closet now?" Will asked, Liz being able to feel his breath on her face. She frowned in annoyance.

"Because," she whispered hastily back, "I'm not allowed in that part of the house."

"Oh," he answered. He went quiet for a second, then said in a hushed voice, "Let me rephrase that then. Why am _I_ in here? I _am_ allowed in there."

Liz smiled sardonically, not caring if there was enough light for it to be seen or not. "Well then, feel free to leave and risk having to explain to De Bourgh why you were in the closet."

"No thanks, I'm good," he mumbled back.

Awkward silence fell between them once more. After a minute passed, Will began to shift his position. "Shhh," Liz hissed when he became rather noisy. "I think someone is coming." She turned her head to see if she could hear better. This had the unfortunate side effect of now being able to feel Will's breath lightly brush her neck. She tried to ignore it.

"This simply will not do," came a faint, distant sneer. It was barely audible, but there was no way it could be mistaken for anyone else besides Miss De Bourgh. "All these maids: useless! I should fire the whole lot of them, they've been getting too cozy in my home lately anyway."

"Yes, ma'am." The voice that responded, equally as far away, was Charlotte's.

"To think, they can't do this one simple task! Do I ask too much of them?" An indignant screech.

"No, ma'am."

A brief pause, perhaps during which Miss De Bourgh sighed in aggravation. "It's all entirely their fault I forgot it anyway. They distracted me by making me yell at them when they got too slack on their chores."

"That must be it, ma'am."

"Well, go help them look, my dear. Heaven knows I should have a least _one_ competent person looking."

"Of course, ma'am."

No more voices could be heard, or any noise whatsoever beyond the door. As Liz strained her ears for any signs they were coming this way, she contemplated what had been said. They were in search of something, something important enough that Miss De Bourgh had decided they could be late to their opera for, though she definitely did not sound happy about it. What could it be? Liz bit her lip as she thought about where she was. _Oh please, not a coat, not a coat!_

"You know, I still can't believe you threw the core in the vase," Will's murmur cut through the air after a little time had passed. So wrapped up was Liz in her soundless wishes, that she had almost forgotten he was there and nearly jumped out of her skin when he spoke again.

She blinked at him, her mind still chanting, _Not a coat, not a coat._ "You know, I really don't believe this is the time to talk about that," she whispered through gritted teeth.

Not seeming to have heard her, he continued, "I mean, what kind of person does that? What were you thinking?"

"You know what, I wasn't thinking. There, that what you wanted me to say?" _Not a coat, not a..._

He exhaled. "I guess it doesn't matter now, what's done is done. That thing is going to rot in there for who knows how long."

"Oh my god, will you shut up about it already? You act like it was your precious giant jar I dumped the apple in. Look, if it makes you feel better, in the future I won't shove apple cores, or any other kind of refuse, into some priceless piece of art, okay?"

"That's not the-" the doorknob began to turn and Liz suppressed a squeak while clamping her hand over his mouth. That did her little good.

"-haven't looked in here yet, maybe I'll-" the door had opened to reveal Charlotte calling over her shoulder. However, she stopped immediately at the sight of them, her lips forming a little startled 'o'. Liz and Will were like frozen deer in the head light, staring wide eyed at Charlotte and their hair wild from close contact with the coats. Liz's hand was splayed over Will's lips and one of his own hands wrapped around her wrist, now still and forgotten.

The three teenagers watched each other for a moment, all completely motionless. Charlotte was the first to move, the corners of her mouth spreading wide into a grin of evil glee.

Not liking the look of that one bit, Liz began to slowly shake her head, mouthing, "No, Charlotte, no..."

"Oh, Miss De _Bourgh,_" Charlotte called, practically singing the name. "I think I've found something!"

"_Charlotte!_" Liz hissed angrily in a whisper, her cheeks beginning to flame red.

Her friend just patted Liz's shoulder reassuringly and winked. The sound of high heels walking down the hall could be heard, causing Liz to wince. However, as they drew closer, Charlotte opened the door a little wider, and the clacking came to a stop on the other side. It seemed Charlotte was keeping the door between them and Miss De Bourgh.

"Well? What is it, Charlotte? We've wasted plenty of time already!" The lady of the house snapped from the other side of the door.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Charlotte asked, somewhat innocently. She reached into the closet, and Liz frantically flattened herself as much against the wall as she could, Will doing the same. However, Charlotte's hand went no where near either of them, simply stretching past them. When she began to pull it back, she was holding a rather large, fuzzy coat in hand that had a multitude of feathers sprouting from its collar. She presented the coat, still keeping the door carefully in place.

A gasp, then a breathed, "Why yes, that's it. It's been so long since I've worn it, I've forgotten how fabulous it is, simply gorgeous." Rustling could be heard, presumably Miss De Bourgh putting on her coat. Charlotte was still smiling far too wide. "For goodness sake, Charlotte! Wipe that smirk off your face, anyone could have found it." Liz rolled her eyes, knowing it was most certainly not the coat that her friend was grinning about.

"Of course, ma'am. I'm just so thrilled that it was... found at all." Charlotte responded, glancing at the pair in the closet out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes, well... we should be going." The voice began to recede as it went on, "We're behind schedule enough as it is. Come now, make haste."

"Right away, ma'am." Charlotte began to close the door, but stopped to glance between Will and Liz again. She scrunched her nose up happily and reached in again to pinch Liz's cheek. As Liz swatted at her, she just chuckled softly and the door shut, casting them into darkness once more.

More awkward silence. Then a thump of Liz banging the back of her head against the wall. Dang it, she was never going to hear the end of this now.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Okay, so, why I've been gone. That is, my friends, because... I graduated from college! Excitement! Annnnnnd I've been in search for a job. No success yet, but that's okay, I've been having fun with no real obligations for the first time in my life. But I can't do this forever, I need the monies, so hopefully soon! But yes, what with graduating and the job hunt, I'm sure you can understand why this was so delayed.

I finally got around to this chapter, which I have been looking forward to for a while. I'm not quite sure it came out quite how I envisioned, but I hope you guys still enjoyed it! Oh, that whacky Liz...

As for the next chapter... could it be? The proposal scene? Maybe, maybe... we'll just have to wait and see! Hopefully you won't have to wait too long though!


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I would like to take a second to thank all of my readers. Thank you for the 25,000+ hits and well over 100 reviews. Thank you to all of you who keep coming back to read more, whether you leave a comment or not. Thank you for enjoying my story so far, I put a lot of work into it in hopes to make you all smile. Thank you for sticking with it and being patient, despite my long intervals between updates. Without you guys, I wouldn't have made it this far, nor have the determination to keep going until I one day finish the story. Thank you, all of you. Here's hoping you all stay around until the very end... I know I will :)

* * *

Chapter 18

Liz had been right in her previous assessment. Charlotte was never going to let her hear the end of the whole closet thing. At least, it felt like never. Only a few days had passed, and yet it already seemed like an eternity. Every chance Charlotte got, she would say something like, "Just had to drag him into a closet and have your way with him, didn't you?" or "I just took a coat out of the closet, I hope I didn't ruin the ambiance of your bachelorette pad."

She also often took the opportunity whenever Liz and Will were in the same room to wink playfully at Will and call him a sly little devil. He would give Charlotte a strange look before leaving without a word. After the first time this happened, Charlotte turned to Liz - who had had a horrified look plastered on her face - and said, "My, I do think he was blushing. Maybe you got a little too... rough with him in there?"

Charlotte would take every chance she got, including teasing Liz in whispers at the dining table with Miss De Bourgh only a few seats away. It was a relief she was not heard by the lady of the house, but sometimes Liz almost did wish Charlotte would get caught, if it would put an end to it all. However, the only thing Miss De Bourgh ever noticed was the result of all of Charlotte's jokes, which was Liz's face turning slightly red. To cover it, Liz would quickly say that she simply felt warm.

No, Liz did not really have to worry about Miss De Bourgh ever finding out. Charlotte would never tell the woman, at least not on purpose. Telling other people, however... well, let's just say it was not long before Liz bumped into Red, who took one look at her and broke out into peals of laughter before leaving the room. _Damn it, Charlotte!_

Thankfully, Christmas Day finally came. True, there was a good chance the teasing would continue throughout the holiday and beyond. However, at least Liz was getting presents, so she did not really care what anyone said to her that day. Luckily for her, Charlotte seemed to have decided to give her the day off, for she did not bring it up... well, not as much anyway.

The opening of gifts took place in the morning in the Mistletoe Room. Apparently, this room, in all its green with flashy red trimming glory, was only used this time of year for this very purpose. Liz would not have been surprised if Miss De Bourgh had a sitting room for every day of the year. This particular room had a high vaulted ceiling, allowing for one of the largest Christmas trees Liz had ever seen. Beneath the pine tree's ornament filled branches had sat a large mound of presents, all of which had been placed the evening before. If one had read the tags, they would have found a majority of the presents were addressed to Collin and Anne. Apparently, Santa had thought they both had been very good this year, the absolute images of gleaming perfection. Liz had snorted at the idea.

When it came time for each person to open their gifts, it was, for the most part, uneventful. There were a few highlights however. For one, Anne showed the most excitement Liz had yet to see on the girl's face whenever she ripped apart the wrapping of a present. If it was not a video game or related in anyway though, she would at first shriek in horror, then immediately lose interest, toss it over her shoulder into her ever growing pile and move on to the next gift.

Miss De Bourgh did not seem particularly impressed with the ring Liz had given her, simply saying, "Oh, how... nice." She had then called over a butler and told him to put it with her "special collection." Somehow, Liz got the feeling that this was code for "down the toilet."

Collin seemed to really like his book ends. A little too much for that matter. "Book ends!" he had exclaimed. "What an excellent present. It's clear that you put a lot of thought into this, Lizzy. One might even think you were trying to woo me back. But it can't be done, no, my heart belongs to one woman now." He had then gone on to make kissy faces at Charlotte. Liz had never thought of book ends as particularly seductive, and sincerely hoped this was the last time anyone did, especially Collin.

As for what Liz received, it had its high points and definite low points. From Charlotte she received a brand new cell phone, and a darn fancy one too with a lot of features. Her three year old phone had been needing replacement, but Liz had never expected one so nice. She tried to tell Charlotte it was too much, considering Liz did not have the money to spend nearly as much on the gift she had gotten for her friend, which happened to be a used neon "Open" sign she had managed to find in a discount store - Charlotte had always wanted one to hang from her apartment's window. Charlotte, of course, refused to take the phone back, plainly stating she was loaded now and could buy her friend whatever she damn well wanted to buy her.

Red surprised her at first by giving her a rolled up poster, which when opened, revealed the picture from Spencer's of a thong-clad man. "To keep you from manhandling Will from now on," he whispered with a cheeky grin and a wink from under the wide brim of the wild hat she had given him. When she rolled it back up so she could hit him with it, he laughed, saying it was a prank gift and handed her wrapped box, supposedly his real present. Casting suspicious glances at Red out of the corner of her eye, she unwrapped it slowly to reveal the complete first three seasons of _Macgyver_. "Because who doesn't love a dude who can make a defibrillator out of candle sticks," Red had cried happily. "Besides, the opening theme kicks ass!"

The rest of Liz's gifts were not as happily received, nor quite as excitedly given. Liz opened the one from Collin dubiously. Inside, she found a framed picture of none other than Collin himself, beaming up at her with a crooked smile that was rather unpleasant. "I know how saddened you are that you've missed the chance to be my betrothed," Collin explained gravely, "so I thought this would ease your pain. I know it's not me, but it'll have to do." Liz forced a smile and a thanks while resisting the urge to gag in disgust. She made a mental note to add the picture to her "special collection."

From Miss De Bourgh, she got... soap. Several bars of soap. Apparently, really fancy and expensive soap, but still just soap. She got even more soap of a different scent from Anne, leaving Liz with the sneaking suspicion that Miss De Bourgh had done the Christmas shopping for her daughter in order to not disturb her darling child's game play time. So, with a fresh stock of soap that would last for months if not years, Liz was left with one feeling. The feeling that Miss De Bourgh was indirectly insulting her hygienic practices - i.e., telling Liz that she stunk without actually saying it. That sneaky, decrepit snake!

As expected, Liz found no gifts addressed from Will to her.

It was not long after everything had been opened that, with a flick of Miss De Bourgh's wrist and a shrill command from her mouth, servants came rushing into the room in a blur. Some cleaned up the mess made up of wrapping paper, ribbons, and the like from the floor. Others were putting up more decorations in the room, including mistletoe, wreaths, bells, candles, and lots of holly. Still more were hauling in large tables, followed closely by others carrying in a feast worthy of royalty.

When Liz asked Charlotte what was going on, she was told that Miss De Bourgh was setting up for a party for all of her high class, fancy friends. Charlotte also informed her that, of course, Liz was invited, but made a face that clearly stated that she would think Liz crazy if she actually went. Instead, the girls decided to gather as much food as they could from the Christmas buffet and holed up in one of the sitting rooms that had a television set large enough to fill up an entire wall. There, they spent the rest of the holiday watching whatever movies they could find on cable, including _A Christmas Story_, _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_, and whatever claymation they happened upon.

All in all, it was a pretty good day, considering where she was and some of the people she was with. She found herself wondering to room sometime after midnight, stuffed full of turkey, cookies and eggnog, sides sore from laughter, and eyes drooping with exhaustion. As she stumbled into her room, she did not bother to turn on the light, just wondered in the direction of her bed. She flopped into it face first when she found it, ready to fall asleep as soon as she hit the pillow. However, instead of a soft, plush cushion, her forehead met with something small, hard, and fuzzy.

"Ow!" Liz grunted into the darkness, then grumbling in irritation, she sat up and reached for the lamp on the nightstand next to her bed. After fumbling for a few seconds, she finally managed to turn it on, wincing at the sudden source of light. Looking at her pillow to see what had attacked her forehead, she found a red velvet box that could fit in the palm of her hand, with a little bow on top. Raising an eyebrow, Liz glanced around the room, almost as if she expected to see whoever it was that had left it here. Not surprisingly, she was alone in the room.

Her head tilted to the side for a minute more as she studied it, then her curiosity got the better of her. Picking it up, she carefully lifted the lid and peered inside. And gaped in astonishment.

Sheltered inside the case's silken walls was a necklace. _The_ necklace, the one from the mall. The white gold, the emerald, the tiny but beautiful diamonds, all of it winked and gleamed up at her. And all Liz could do was stare at it.

Who on _earth_ had gotten her this?

* * *

_Charlotte. She gave it to me... she had to of._

This was the decision Liz had come to the next morning as she got dressed. It was what made the most sense. Charlotte was one of her closest friends, despite the short time the two girls had known each other. And what did close friends do? Get presents for each other they knew they would like, that was what. Plus, there was the obvious fact that Charlotte had been there when Liz had been admiring the necklace. And Charlotte definitely had the money to make such a purchase.

As she thought it through, Liz nodded to herself. _Yes. Charlotte._

However, there was absolutely no way she could accept it, despite her friend's good intentions. This necklace was just far too expensive for something Liz would probably never get much use out of anyway.

And so, necklace case in hand and determination in her eye, Liz approached the door that adjoined her room with Charlotte's. Certain her friend was up but not one to just barge in, Liz knocked.

"What's the sign say?" came Charlotte's voice from the other side, muffled slightly by the door.

Liz glanced up to see the neon "Open" sign hanging from the door. She had forgotten that just yesterday, after all gifts had been opened, the two of them had set it up there temporarily until it found its permanent home in Charlotte's campus apartment. Liz grinned to herself as she responded, "Well, the sign of course says open, but it's not lit up, so I'm a little confused as to how I should interpret it."

"Oh, for the... hang on," Charlotte's voice snapped. A few seconds past as Liz watched the power cord attached to the sign - which trailed down the height of the door and underneath it into Charlotte's room - jiggle a bit. Then, with a soft buzzing sound, the word "Open" burst to life in bright neon pink and orange. "Satisfied?"

"Very," Liz chirped before opening the door.

She found Charlotte flopped on her bed, watching some morning cartoons. She had on some sort of nice fancy shirt, but it was combined with pajama shorts that displayed tiny, cartoon robots, suggesting that Charlotte had begun to get dressed for the day and had given up somewhere along the way. Charlotte smiled at Liz in greeting before gluing her eyes back to her plasma TV. "My my, Miss Eliza, what a delightful surprise to see you up so early. I thought you never woke up before noon."

"Well yeah, I usually don't, but I needed to talk to you about something." She twisted the velvet box between her fingers for a few seconds in thought before plainly saying, "Listen Charlotte, I really appreciate the thought, but I can't take it. It's far too much."

Charlotte glanced at Liz with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "I thought we already went over this. Come on, I know you'll love it... did I mention you can take pictures with it?"

"What?" Liz was puzzled for a second as she imagined the necklace being some sort of spy gadget that a person could take top secret photographs with. Then realization struck and Liz shook her head. "Oh, you mean the phone. No, I already accepted that, that's fine. But the phone _and_ the necklace? Now you're just spoiling me."

"Wait... what necklace?" Charlotte asked slowly, grabbing the remote and turning off the television set.

Liz snorted. "What do you mean, what necklace? The one you left on my pillow, doofus."

"Uh, Liz... I didn't leave any necklace..."

"Yeah right, you didn't. What do you call this?" she brandished the box in front of Charlotte.

Her friend eyed it uncertainly before slowly reaching for it. "Can I see that for just a second?"

"Sure, go ahead. I don't see why though, you already know what it looks like since you bought it."

Ignoring Liz, Charlotte opened the box then gasped at the necklace inside, surprise and recognition both running over her face. She stared at it for a few seconds, at first her face perfectly still. Then, slowly her expression melted into a sly smile and she looked back up at Liz. "I didn't buy you this necklace."

Liz faltered at Charlotte's grin and the sound of her voice before asking, "You didn't?"

"No."

"But... you know who did?" she asked hopefully.

"Not for certain. But I think I have a pretty good idea." Charlotte's grin widened a little.

"Then who?"

Plunking the case back into Liz's hand, she responded in a singsong, "Not telling."

"What?" Liz asked incredulously. "What do you mean, not telling?"

Charlotte giggled, "What do you think I mean? I mean my lips are sealed. I know I'm just guessing, but what if my guess is right? Don't you think the person would prefer to tell you themselves they got it for you rather than have me ruin the surprise?"

Scowling, Liz grumbled, "If they wanted to tell me, then they should have handed the gift to me in person."

A knock came at Charlotte's main door, putting a stop to any pestering Liz may have done to get a name out of her friend. Charlotte called, "Who is it?"

"The love of your life," came a cheery, but dreadfully nasal reply. Liz scrunched up her nose as she identified the disembodied voice as Collin's.

Charlotte merely grinned at the face her friend was making as she answered, "Come in."

The door opened and Charlotte's fianc jaunted into the room, coming to a startled stop when he spotted Liz. "Why, Lizzy, what are you doing here?"

Raising an eyebrow at him, she said, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Why, I've come to escort my beloved to breakfast, of course," Collin stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Crossing her arms, Liz teased, "Ah, I hadn't realized the halls of this mansion had become dangerous enough to require an escort."

"Don't be silly," Collin chided with disapproval. "I'm just doing my duty as Charlotte's betrothed and as a gentleman. As dear Mama always says, it is improper for a young lady to go anywhere unescorted."

Liz shot Charlotte a glance out of the corner of narrowed eyes, as if to ask, 'And you really want to marry yourself to _this_? Charlotte simply muffled a laugh behind her hand. Liz also repressed the urge to ask where her escort was if that was the case. It seemed like a good question at first, but then it could have bad results, such as being accompanied by Collin as well wherever she went around the house. Wouldn't that just be a joy?

"I'll just need a minute to finish getting ready, Collin," Charlotte informed him, indicating the half of her still clothed in PJ's.

As Charlotte made her way to her private bathroom with a more acceptable pair of pants in hand, Liz said, "Wait, where do you think you're going?"

"I think I'm going to the restroom," Charlotte answered, not looking back.

"But we're not done here! You never told me who you think it is!"

Upon entering the bathroom, Charlotte turned and said, "Sorry, can't hear you, the door's closing." And with a taunting smirk on Charlotte's face, she pushed the door shut.

Liz glared at the door, but it yielded no answers to her. So engrossed was she with this pointless staredown that she nearly jumped when Collin asked from behind her, "What are you two talking about?"

She turned quickly, clasping the necklace box to her chest. She contemplated him for a few seconds, then glanced down at the case she held, then back at him. It was a long shot, but... "Collin, you... didn't happen to... buy me a really expensive necklace just for the hell of it, did you?"

He blinked at her before asking slowly, "Are you feeling well, Lizzy?"

"Yes, yes of course I am," she responded, probably a bit too quickly. "I'm not crazy, though I would think myself crazy too, asking if you had bought me a necklace," she laughed at the last part as if it were ludicrous. She then paused, eyeing him again thoughtfully. "Did you? ... buy me this necklace?" She held out the box before him.

Collin continued to give her an odd look - as if she had sprouted wings or perhaps a second nose - but took the proffered item from her hand. When he opened it to look at the necklace, he scoffed. "Why would you ever think I'd get this for you?"

Liz shrugged. She did not really know why she would think that... in fact, she was not even sure if she did think that. It had just been a shot in the dark. "Because... Charlotte, was there when I saw it? And she might have passed it along to you so you... would buy it?" Liz's words slowly faded off as her explanation sounded lame, even to her.

"Oh please, Lizzy, you offend me," he berated her with a snort. "You offend both my loyalty and my taste in jewelry. First, my loyalty by thinking I would ever give such a gift to any other young lady besides my one, my only true love, Charlotte. Second, my tastes by even suggesting I would ever give such a poor excuse of a necklace to anyone, even you. No, I did not give you this pathetic piece of scrap metal and cheap gems to you."

He tossed the box back to her, forcing Liz to catch it awkwardly. Her eyes flashed and she glared at him. "Well, I liked it!"

With a haughty sniff, he responded, "You would, wouldn't you?"

Liz continued to glower at him as she mused, _Hmmm, methinks there's still a little hostility left over from being so royally rejected by me, eh, Weasel Boy? I hope Charlotte divorces you and takes all your money with her._ As if her very thoughts acted as a summons, Charlotte then exited the bathroom to rejoin them, much more "presentably" attired. It was a good thing too, because Liz had just been thinking of a few choice words she had been going to tear into Collin with.

"You two have fun while I was gone?" Charlotte asked brightly, as she approached Collin.

"Oh yah... it was a party and a half," Liz responded with a roll of her eyes.

"I'll bet," Charlotte grinned as she took Collin's arm. He was now deliberately ignoring Liz and gushing all his attention onto Charlotte. The girl hardly seemed to notice as she said, "Oh, just a reminder, Miss Eliza. We're going out to some fancy restaurant for dinner tonight with Miss De Bourgh and a few of her friends she wanted to introduce me to. I bought a few dresses that I think would look good on you to wear when we go out, the maids will lay them out on your bed some time today. So be sure to try them all on and find one you like by six, because that's when we're leaving."

Liz nodded, grumbling unpleasantly. She did not really want to go to dinner with the De Bourghs tonight, but Charlotte had already saved her from plenty of other outings since her stay here. She supposed one dinner - and one dress, no matter how sickeningly elegant - was not going to kill her.

Charlotte looked at Liz and smiled, somewhat sympathetically, somewhat evilly. "Aw, don't pout. Maybe this'll cheer you up. About the necklace... just ask yourself this: who else was there when you were looking at it?" She paused, watching Liz think about it for a split second, then continued, "You're a smart girl, I have faith in you, you'll figure it out. Until later," Charlotte turned to leave with a wave, Collin going with.

Now alone in Charlotte's room, Liz contemplated what Charlotte had said. _Who else was there when I was looking at it?_ A tiny, sinking feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

The emerald necklace dangled in front of Liz's face, gleaming innocently in the evening sunlight. Liz held it there, a few inches from her nose, watching it, imploring it with her hazel eyes to tell her its secrets. But the necklace remained stoically silent.

She had narrowed the number of people that could have given it to her down to three. This had not been hard since there had not been many people around to begin with when she had looked at the necklace. Charlotte had been there, but that option had already been ruled out. Red had also been there, but Liz was doubtful on that one. They had only known each other for a little over a week, and while she liked the guy and was pretty sure the feeling was mutual, she doubt it went so far as to purchasing this necklace.

Then there was Jane, who had not physically been present, but she had been on the phone with her when Liz saw it. Maybe her sister had thought Liz would really like it, so had asked Charlotte to go back and buy it for her... or something. True, Jane did not have the money... at least, Liz did not think her sister did. And Charlotte had said she did not know for certain who had bought the necklace, so that made it less likely that Charlotte had gone back and bought it later at Jane's request. Plus, Jane had promised Liz that she would give her a Christmas present when they were both back on campus. Liz frowned as all the evidence stacked against her twin. Still... she was not going to rule her out.

And finally... Liz had to struggle to get her mind around the idea, but... there _had_ been one last person there when she had been looking at the necklace. Will. But if she merely doubted that Red had bought her it, then she believed the idea of _Will_ being the gift giver to be infinitely impossible. He had made it clear from day one, back at the party where they first met, that he did not like her, at least not enough to buy her such a gift. The very idea was laughable.

Liz shook her head at all the possibilities. Each one seemed less likely than the last.

It was now not half an hour before Liz and the rest of the household would be going out to dinner. She had spent most of the day trying to track certain people down: Red, to see if he had actually been the one to buy it, and Charlotte, in an attempt to see if she knew more than she let on. However, she had failed miserably at finding either and had ended up returning to her room in defeat. There, she had found the dresses Charlotte had told her would be waiting for her. Reluctantly, she had set to work on choosing one.

She had settled on one that had actually turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It was mostly made of a black fabric that hinted at a sparkle here and there. It had a high waist line and two skirts, the top being a black, see-through material and the underskirt being a soft, silky red. It was a long dress, brushing the top of her feet, and was strapless. The last part was what amazed her the most. She assumed Charlotte had picked out the dresses for Liz with Miss De Bourgh's tastes in mind, but she could hardly see the old witch approving of a dress that bared Liz's naked shoulders and arms to the world. And yet, there it was, and Liz had chosen it. She did actually think the dress pretty, but she had the sneaking suspicion that, subconsciously, she had picked the dress only to see how Miss De Bourgh would react.

Having fulfilled her duty to look nice - dressed in the gown and hair done up neatly and all - Liz had left the house to ponder the necklace in Rosings Park's garden. She was hoping the fresh air and green surroundings would relax her and help her think more clearly. What she hoped to gain, she was not really sure, since she doubted staring at the necklace would actually give her any kind of clues. Still, it was not like she had anything better to do. And so, she had found a stone bench in a garden clearing, sat upon it, and pulled the necklace out of its box to scrutinize it. And it was there she still sat.

"What did that necklace ever do to you?" a voice interrupted the silence, causing Liz to start and nearly drop said necklace.

She turned to see Red standing a few feet away, hands in pockets and head tilted slightly as he gave her an amused, questioning look. Liz blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it looks like you're trying to explode the thing with your mind, so I was wondering what it had done to unleash your wrath." He plopped down on the bench next to her, splaying his legs out before him.

"Oh, nothing... hey, where were you today? I was looking for you."

"I'm very good at not being found when I don't want to be," Red answered, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Liz smirked, "I can tell, seeing as I never found you."

"I wish you had and not Collin," he responded with a pout. For the first time, Liz realized that Red was not dressed as his usual, messy band boy self. He was wearing a suit, sans tie, and his hair was a little less wild than usual.

"I see you're going to dinner too," Liz observed.

Red nodded, "Yeah, that's why I wish Collin hadn't found me. That little grease ball can be pushy when he wants to be, especially when it comes to pleasing 'Mama Dearest.'" He provided air quotes, a roll of the eyes, and a perfect nasally impression to accompany his last two words. A grin brightened his face once more when he asked, "Why were ya lookin' for me?" He nudged her playfully with his shoulder, "Missed my lovable self that much, eh?"

"No," Liz chuckled and ignored his over exaggerated hurt look. "Well... actually, I was wondering if you had bought me this for Christmas..." she raised the necklace to him, the pendant swinging on the chain with the motion.

He made no move to take it from her, just let it sway between Liz's fingers. "Why? Were the Macgyver DVDs not good enough that you thought I got you another present?" he jested.

"No, it's not that. I really liked your DVDs..." she paused to bite her lower lip, then added, "at least I think I will, haven't watched them yet."

"You bet you will!" Red assured her enthusiastically.

Grinning, Liz continued, "I thought you might have given this to me since you were there when I was looking at it. You remember, a few days ago at the mall? When I was doing some last minute Christmas shopping?"

His eyes narrowed as he examined the necklace again, then recognition sparked and a smile slowly spread across his face, much like the one Charlotte had worn upon first seeing it. He took the necklace from her now, turning it over in his hands, all the while still smiling almost secretly to himself. "How did you say you got it?" he asked somewhat distractedly.

"I didn't say," Liz answered, bewilderedly watching his expression. "I found it in a velvet box on my pillow before I went to bed last night. No note or card or tag... I take it from your reaction that you aren't my Secret Santa."

"Nope," he responded merrily.

She hesitated on her next question, because she had a feeling she already knew the answer. "Do you know who is?"

He glanced up from the jewelry to look at her, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Couldn't tell ya."

Liz frowned. Well, that did not help much. The way he had worded it, either he did not know or he did and was just not saying. Oh well, at least she could cross Red's name off the list. That left Jane or... _Jane. It has to be her,_ Liz's mind stated stubbornly, refusing to fill in the other possible name and ignoring the growing cold, sinking feeling in her stomach. _It was Jane. I'll call her later and she'll tell me it was her._

"You know," Red interrupted her thoughts, drawing her back to reality. "You should put the necklace on."

"What? Should I?"

He nodded eagerly, "Of course! I mean, whoever bought this for you obviously thought you would like it and probably wanted to see you wear it. It's almost kind of rude for you not to, you know?"

Liz pursed her lips before responding slowly, "I guess..."

"Turn around," Red commanded. Liz briefly debated refusing his request, but then with a sigh, turned where she sat so her back was facing him now. She felt Red's arms brush past both sides of her head and saw the necklace slowly lower before her face before it came to rest on her chest. It tightened slightly, and Liz assumed Red was pulling the ends towards each other to fasten them together. As he did so, Red said conversationally, "So, I've been wondering... have you ever noticed what a great guy Will is?"

Liz raised her eye at the not so subtle change of topic. "Not particularly, no."

"Don't be mean," Red laughed. He mumbled under his breath as he struggled with the necklace clasp - something about companies making the damn things too small. The redhead then continued, "Yeah, he has a lot of good qualities... but I'm sure you know that, you've been going to school with him for a while. Sure, the guy could learn to loosen up a bit, but that's nothing too big. Did you know he is extremely loyal to those he cares about?"

"Is that so?" Liz asked, loosing interest in the conversation. Right now, she was more fascinated in the bug crawling across a leaf on a nearby plant.

"Yup! He'll do whatever he can to help out a bud in need. Here, take for example... you know Charlie, right? What am I talking about, of course you know him, we talked about him a bit the day we met. Anyway, Will got him out of a fix recently."

"Did he now?" She humored him, now amused that it was taking Red so long to work the necklace.

Red answered, "That he did. See, Will got him out of a potentially bad relationship with this chick at UCSC that- HA! Got it!" he exclaimed the last part triumphantly as the necklace finally snapped into place.

Liz did not share in his jubilation. She hardly cared that the pendant now successfully hung from around her neck of its own accord. In fact, all thoughts of the necklace had completely fled from her mind. She slowly twisted back around to stare in disbelief at Red. "You were saying?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous. When Red did not respond right away due to confusion and slight fear at her expression, she snapped, "About the 'chick' at UCSC! What were you saying?"

"Oh that," he responded, almost nervously, wondering at the sudden turn for the worse this conversation had taken. "Well, it seems there was this girl, a fellow student that Charlie was falling for. A blond... attractive, I heard. However, Will said that she did not seem to feel the same way about Charlie. They hung out and all, but Charlie seemed to care more about her than she cared about him. He suspected she might even like his money more than she liked him. So, to keep his friend from getting hurt, Will convinced him it wouldn't work out and to transfer to another school, so he wouldn't have to see her everyday. I think the transfer was a little extreme, but you gotta admit that Will's heart was in the right place and-"

She did not hear anything else he said after that, for Liz was gone from the stone bench, gone from the garden and dashing into the house. Even if she had stayed, she would not have heard anything more for she was so angry, so full of blinding rage, that Red's words would have been lost on her.

How dare Will? She had never imagined him capable of this. Sure, he had insulted her at their first party together. And okay, he had almost single handedly ruined George's life. But _this_? That had not just been some random 'UCSC chick' that Red had been talking about, that had been _Jane_. That bastard was the reason her sister and Charlie had been torn apart, and over stupid, made up lies. That jerk was the reason Liz had found Jane crying several times since the end of the quarter. That... that... _he_ was the reason, for all of it. And to think, she had been blaming Carol, when the real culprit had been right in front of her all this time. Liz was so mad, she could not stay still, she had to move, had to stay away from people or she would most likely rip someone's head off. She just could not get over it, how _dare_ he?

As Liz furiously marched through the halls of Rosings Park with no particular destination in mind and tried to calm herself down, she quickly turned a corner and crashed into someone. Her anger and annoyance flared when she saw it was Miss De Bourgh frowning disdainfully at her. Liz did _not_ want to deal with her at the moment.

"_Excuse_ you, Elizabeth. Why don't you watch where you're going?" The lady of the house huffed. "Honestly, kids these days... what are their parents teaching them?"

Battling with herself to keep her temper in check, Liz smiled and said through gritted teeth, "Please forgive me, I wasn't watching where I was going. Now I must be leaving..." she attempted to get past Miss De Bourgh before she had to endure another second, but the older woman blocked her path.

"Where were you going in such a rush anyway? Ladies should not be scurrying around in such a hurry all the time, it's bad for the skin and your destination will still be there if you walk," she informed her sternly.

Fearing her grin was beginning to look more like an animal's bared teeth, Liz pressed her lips together in agitation. She took a deep breath and, attempting to keep any malice out of her voice, responded, "Thank you_greatly_ for you pearls of wisdom. I won't run anymore... ever, if it'll make you move."

Miss De Bourgh scowled, but seemed to take Liz's not so indirect hint and gave her room to pass. Liz had not gotten a few feet however before she heard, "I hope you don't bring that disgusting attitude to dinner with you."

Liz halted, her eye twitching slightly. _Oh there is no _way_ I'm going to that,_ her inner voice snarled. She whirled around as she said, "Oh yah, that... I can't make it, 'kay, thanks, bye."

Before she could escape though, Miss De Bourgh stated, "Too late for you to cancel now, as much as I'm sure we'd all grieve at your absence. Reservations have been made, and I simply can't show up minus one... person." She said the last part as if she was not sure if that was what Liz really was anymore.

"I'm not feeling well... I can't go," Liz tried, saying her words slowly and enunciating as if that would get the point across.

Miss De Bourgh narrowed her eyes. "You don't look sick... you're complexion is a bit pale and disagreeable, but that's usual."

Liz balled her fists, taking every ounce of restraint not to use them to inflict bodily harm upon her host. She answered sarcastically, "Thank you for _that._ Now if we're done here, I think I'll be going."

As she turned to leave, she was once again brought to a stop as Miss De Bourgh barked, "Good heavens, Child! Still in such a rush! Where's the fire?"

Glancing over her shoulder, Liz growled, "It'll be in your hair if you don't _leave me alone._"

That shut the crone up, for Liz was able to leave the hall unhindered now. Once she had put enough distance between herself and Miss De Bourgh, she stopped and looked around. It did not take her long to figure out where she was, and from there she decided she was going head to her room and seclude herself in it. The run in with Miss De Bourgh had made her feel a little better, but she knew she was still far from being pleasant company around anyone. She needed to be alone.

Once in her room, she locked both the doors leading to the hall and to Charlotte's room. It did not matter in the long run, for no one came knocking or calling for her, but that was how she wanted it. Liz did not know how long she stayed in that room, pacing back and forth and growling angrily under her breath. It could have been a few minutes or it could have been hours as far as she knew or cared. Finally, however, she came to a decision. She could not stay here any longer. She had to leave, and she had to do it _now._ She threw back the curtain on one of her windows to check the driveway. Miss De Bourgh's fancy car that she got driven around in was gone. So it appeared she and the others had left for dinner by now. That suited her just fine.

She grabbed her cell phone and her wallet, opening it up and rifling through her money real fast. Plenty of cash for a cab ride back to Santa Cruz. She closed it back up and carried it with her, for she had not pockets - she was still wearing the dress Charlotte had chosen for her. It was fine, Liz would just return it later. As for her clothing and other things, most of it was still unpacked and Liz was hardly in the mood to clean it all up and put it back together in her bags. She was sure Charlotte could handle it for her.

Liz left the room and began to walk down the stairs leading into the foyer. As she did so, she popped open her phone and began to dial Information to find out the number of a local taxi company. The phone had rung twice by the time Liz was opening the front door. And then she stopped, frozen and shocked, dropping her phone.

For the last person she wanted to see at this very moment was on the porch. Will was there, hand outstretched as if he had been in the middle of reaching for the door himself to open it. But now he simply stood there as still as Liz, matching her stare for stare. He was dressed nicely, with black pants and a button up shirt that was the same red as Liz's skirt. It was probably for the dinner with Miss De Bourgh. However, Liz did not notice that. All she noticed was that it was _Will_, right in front of her. That, and that his hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few bangs sticking out. Bangs that she would love more than anything to rip bloodily out of his scalp.

Will broke their shared stupor first, as he leaned back and scratched the back of his neck. "Elizabeth, I-"

That was all he managed before she slammed the door shut in his face, locking and dead bolting it, seething in rage. She had done it half because it would feel good, and half because she wanted to keep herself from beating the pulp out of him.

"Elizabeth?" Will's confused call came from the other side of the door.

"No one's home!" she yelled back, crossing her arms.

"Oh come on, Elizabeth! This isn't funny, I need to talk to you!" Liz did not answer, just continued to stare at the door between them, giving it her best 'If Looks Could Kill' glare. There was a few seconds of silence, then Will continued, "Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I'm coming in."

Liz would have laughed at that, then she heard something. There was a clicking sound coming from the locks. She stared blankly at it at first, then angrily slammed her hand against the door as she snapped, "You have a key? Of _course_, you have a key! Damn it!" Before he could finish opening the door, Liz knelt down, grabbed the phone she had dropped then whirled around, the dress flaring out at her ankles. She'd just find another exit to the house. She knew they existed, she had used them before. Now if only she were not too incensed at the moment to remember where they were. She picked a hall at random.

She had not gotten far down it when she heard the front door swinging open and Will's heavy footsteps coming into the house. Liz attempted to walk faster, but in vain. Will was already walking behind her, matching her pace easily. She silently cursed his long legs.

"Elizabeth, slow down! What's wrong?" He asked with concern.

"Wrong? Nothing's _wrong_, why would you think a silly thing like that?" She asked, her voice high from restraint and a laugh escaping her that sounded far from happy. She refused to look at him, just kept walking. Liz feared that if she stopped to face him, she would tear his face off. As delightful as it sounded at the moment, she did not want to get blood on Charlotte's dress. "I thought you were at dinner."

"I was. But I drove my car back here because I realized... listen, can you just stop for a second?" Will made to reach for her arm, but the instant Liz felt his fingers brush her wrist, she whipped her arm away from him and made a sharp turn down another random hall.

She told him solemnly, "No, Will, I can't stop, otherwise my feet will fall off." She had no idea where that statement had come from, but it seemed like a good cynical answer.

"I don't know what's going on... but, please you have to stop, I... have to tell you something," he said, rather awkwardly.

"You can't tell me while we're walking? Why? It seems like your mouth works perfectly fine while your feet are in motion, otherwise I'd be having a much more enjoyable stroll around the house." As Liz made another turn and was greeted with more hallway - which, by the way, looked exactly like the one she had just left, and all the others before that - she huffed, "Where are all the damn exits in this place?"

Ignoring her outburst, Will said with some discomfort, "It's kind of something I need to say while I can see your face... and while you're not storming around the house."

A growled emitted from deep within Liz's throat. Fine. He wanted to look her in the eye? Fine! It was his face in danger of being lacerated to shreds, not hers. She came to an abrupt stop, skirts swishing as she spun on her heels. "Okay! _William_. What-"

She interrupted herself with a grunted 'Oof!' as Will ran into her. Apparently, he had not expected her to actually listen, so when she had halted, he had kept walking and had stumbled right into her. He did not back away as one normally did in these situations, just stared down at her in surprise. Liz fumed, rage beginning to bubble up inside her past the point any other normal human could endure. Oh, that was it. Will, was going to die, right here, right now. She was going to crack his skull on the walls, she was going fillet him with a nearby doorknob, she was going break him in half on the nearby decorative, antique table, she was going to-

All thoughts of painful murder fled from her mind. For she could not do anything at the moment. Not with Will kissing her.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Hello once again! Wow, I updated relatively quickly, compared to what I usually do. I wanted to get to the good stuff! Speaking of which, sorry if the end of this chapter seemed a bit abrupt, but I wanted it to be that way. To match the abruptness of the kiss itself! Don't worry, there will be more... details at the beginning of next chapter (wink wink, nudge nudge). It'll all remain classy of course... I'm sure you'll all like it. And trust me, this is just the beginning of the disastrous proposal scene. What exactly will I do with it? Mmmm, guess you'll just have to wait and see :D

Thank you all for congratulating me on my graduation, much appreciated. I've had a few interviews since then. I have a really good feeling about the one I went on today, so cross your fingers all!

Thanks again for all your reviews! TwilightStarLaughter, sorry for the unfortunate incident of my less-than-lovable Crystal sharing a name with you. I've only known one Crystal in my life, and she was no joy. This character is kind of based on her. Thanks for forgiving me tho, I hope this chapter came soon enough ;P Becca7, yah, sorry Will is a blond! He too is based on a guy I knew... well not really knew so much as had a crush on. But rest assure, if I do another P&P fic in the future (I have plans...), that Darcy will have luscious, raven hair! Speaking of another P&P fic, IcelandGirl812: I still do want to make another one. Trust me... it's going to be weird, but fun! However, I've put the idea on hold until I've finished this one. I'd hate to leave this one unfinished! Beckysue904, thanks for the suggestion the halloween chapter. I actually had forgotten what exactly I had written in that chapter, but when I went back and read it and compared it to what you had said, I liked yours better. If I ever revise this story, that'll probably be something I change. But now, it's too much work, forgive me laziness, hehe. And finally, legolasEstelstar, thank you for your many reviews! I'm sorry about the formatting, I really don't know how to format it any other way on the internet, I thought everyone did block paragraphs. But I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed my story enough to stick with it, I hope it keeps meeting your expectations. No, I don't hate goths, just had some bad experience with some in high school. Carol and Crystal are based on two girls I knew, both goths and both out to make my life a living hell. But beyond that, I've had nothing but pleasant experiences with them... and I find their men incredibly attractive ;) And yah, I hate when characters become ignored in stories, I tried my best to avoid that with mine. True, they're not making much of an appearance now, but it's kind of hard to do at Rosings. Don't worry, they'll be back for a big finish by the end.

Okay! Now that that's done, I may just get started on the next chapter. It should be fun :D


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: You can't believe I finally updated? Well, ha, **_I_** can't believe I finally updated! Here we go!

* * *

Chapter 19

The world around Liz completely fell away. Nothing and no one in it mattered besides one person and strangely enough, that one person was Will. She was vaguely aware of the fact that her back was pressed up against a wall. She did not know when that had happened or how exactly, but she did not really care.

She was more interested in the way his fingers ran through her hair, leaving a pleasant tingling feeling in their wake. The warmth of his other hand wrapped possessively around her waist, pulling her closer to him. The loose strands of his hair brushing against her face, delicately tickling her cheek. The way he smelled, just the slightest, enticing hint of cinnamon. Her hands poised against his chest, with the earlier intention of pushing him away, now rested still, feeling the light but rapid thudding of his heart. She hardly noticed that the pace of her own heartbeat matched his. His lips against hers, gentle, and yet passionate at the same time.

Liz felt mostly confused and lightheaded... she really could not make sense of what was going on. However, she also felt something else. Something small, buried in the center of her chest, almost completely hidden beneath a thick, hazy layer of befuddled dizziness, but it was there. A sense of... excitement? Satiety? Giddiness? None of these was the correct name for it. Simply put, it was hard, if not impossible, to describe... not that Liz was in the right state of mind to describe much of anything.

It was one of those moments that seemed to last forever and still end all at once in the blink of an eye. Will pulled away, slowly, reluctantly, breathing in softly. He then paused a split second to study her with his deep, forest green eyes.

That was his first mistake.

It was quite clear he had left an impression on her. And she, in kind, wanted to quite clearly leave an impression on him. Literally. By slamming the heel of her palm into his nose.

Letting out a painful grunt, Will stumbled back in surprise, clapping his hands over his face. Liz took the opportunity to escape, frantically pushing her way through the nearest door and somehow managing to not trip over the hem of her dress. Despite the chaotic clash of emotions raging through her mind - searing anger and panic warring for the lead - she still was able to recognize that she had fled into one of Rosings Park's many guest rooms. More importantly, a guest room that was accompanied by a bathroom. She bolted into it, shoving the door out of her way with a loud bang as it hit the wall.

She finally came to a stop when she collided with the sink, grabbing the handle for the faucet and turning it as far as it would it go. Liz then cupped her hands under the running water, paying little mind to the way they trembled from time to time. When she hands were full, she thrust the water to her lips, crashed it about her mouth, and then spat it back out violently into the sink. The girl did this several more times, trying to rinse away what had just happened.

... What _had_ just happened? What had Will done? What had _she_ done? If Liz had not known any better, she would almost think she had enjoyed herself. But no, that could not be. That could not happen. _None_ of this could have happened. Maybe this was just some weird, messed up nightmare... or her imagination just running away with her. Hell, she could be going nuts. Yes, she could be going stark raving mad and it was only a matter of time before they threw her in the loony bin with all the other whack jobs. It was better than that - _any_ of that - being true.

"Elizabeth..."

That voice. _His_ voice. Liz snatched up the nearest thing within her grasp: a curling iron. Still bent over the sink, without looking at Will, Liz pointed the hair styler at him and growled, "If you so much as come an inch closer..."

She heard a frustrated sigh come from him. "Elizabeth, really," he began, trying to enter the restroom further. "Can't we-"

Liz flipped the switch on the curling iron and it began to buzz menacingly. For added effect, she snapped the clamp a couple times, making delightfully harsh clacking sounds.

"Alright, I won't move! Just please... don't curl me to death."

Normally, a statement like that would have made Liz smile. Not this time. Instead, she slowly turned her head to finally look at him. He stood in the doorway, both hands raised in surrender since he was obviously at the mercy of her hair curler. His golden hair had become disarray somewhere along the way, some of it still tied back, a good majority of it loose and wild. There was a small trickle of blood running from one of his nostrils. Liz noted this all impassively as she stared at him silently for a few seconds, still holding the buzzing weapon of hair styling doom between them. Finally, she demanded quietly, "Explain."

At first, Will just stared at her with his mouth agape. He then hesitantly licked his lips as he attempted to gather his thoughts. "I'm sorry... I'm mean, about the... I shouldn't have- I had no right to... that is to say, for a long time now..." Apparently, he had failed miserably at the whole thought-gathering thing. In agitation, he lifted his hands higher to tug at his hair. At last, he simply blurted out, "I love you."

Liz's face went blank. She blinked once. Then twice. Then a short pause, followed by, "You _what_?"

"I love you... am in love with you... so deeply, madly, heart-wrenchingly in love to be driven to the point of insanity. I don't know when it began or how, just little by little... until today, now... I'm sorry that I startled you before by... I'm sorry, I just couldn't restrain myself any longer. I've been struggling in silence for so long." At first he spoke rapidly, as if he was just trying to get it all out before he had a chance to change his mind. He slowly relaxed as he went on however, as the burden was lifted. A tiny, relieved but somewhat goofy smile even played across his lips and indeed he did look very much like a school boy confessing his crush. Liz could only listen, stunned and with a blush creeping into her cheeks. She almost felt pity for what he had gone through, was almost drawn in by his words. If he had left it at that, who knows what may have followed. Unfortunately, Will just did not know when you quit talking.

"Several times I tried to tell you how I felt... or show you... but I always stopped myself. Of course I did, any man in their right mind would, you're... well, you're you. The idea of you and me is laughable, purely ludicrous." That. Right there. The fragile illusion was shattered. Liz's eyebrow twitched as she was brought back to reality, remembering where she was and who it was that was talking. And he did not stop there. "You have no wealth to back your name and your family is a long line of nobodies. You surround yourself with friends that are loud, nosy, obnoxious and are a general embarrassment to be even within ten yards of. You're too stubborn for your own good, constantly rude, far too eager to argue, and I think a little on the crazy side.

"And yet," here came the strawberry-flavored icing on the metaphorical cake, "despite it all, I still love you. Against my better judgment, I'm willing to overlook everything, just to be with you," he went on, growing more confident with each word. "So please, put an end to my misery. No doubt, you've felt it too. There's no fighting it for either of us, believe me, I've tried. No matter what the consequences may be, I'm yours."

He fell quiet and the only noise that could be heard for several seconds was the drone of the nearly forgotten hair curler. Though Will slowly grew anxious as the silence stretched on, he never lost his look of anticipation. He awaited her answer, obviously believing that it would be a positive one. Finally, Liz obliged him.

"Oh, be still my beating heart. My Prince Charming has finally arrived and it's as if all my dreams have come true!" Well, the words were positive at least. The tone, however, was oozing with sarcasm and exasperation. She had clasped her free hand over her heart for emphasis and tossed him a few exaggerated bats of her eye lashes.

Will was slow to respond. He looked confused, as if he sensed a trap, but still really wanted to believe her words. It seemed something had gone wrong along the way, but he could not quite put his finger on exactly what. Unsure, he finally asked, "Really?"

"_No_, you arrogant, conceited, condescending, ignorant, moronic, son of a-" Liz choked off her tirade, knowing it was pointless - although it did make Will turn a lovely shade of blotchy red. Was he really that blind? Did he really think that she - that _any_ girl - would gratefully leap at the chance to be with him after a speech like that? It was time to disillusion dear old Will. She took a deep breath to calm herself, failed, and then began again, speaking stiffly and with a cold smirk, "It's always nice when someone tells you they love you. And points to you for going about it in such a... unique way. But, how does the saying go? Oh, right... let's just be friends."

"Let's just be...?" Will trailed off, not quite sure he had heard correctly.

"Not clear enough for you? All right, how else can I put this?" Her smirk grew a little more evil as she began to tick of on her fingers, "You're not my type? I really need to focus on my career right now? I always thought of you as a brother? It's not you, it's me? The dog ate my homework? ... wait, wrong excuse. Oh well, I'm sure you get the idea."

Realization slowly dawned in Will's eyes. In utter disbelieve, he asked, "Wait... are you rejecting me?"

"Bingo, Bucko!" she applauded him with a roll of her eyes. "Now if you'd be so kind as to do me the favor of getting the hell away from me, that'd be great, thanks." It was almost scary how chipper Liz could make herself sound when she was angry.

He did not budge, only stood more rigid in the doorway with his eyes now flashing. His voice was restrained when he responded, "May I first ask why you turned me down without so much as a second thought? Not to mention how cruelly you went about it. I did nothing to-"

"Did you honestly think this was going well up until now? I gave you a freaking bloody nose, for crying out loud," Liz snarled. "If you think that getting socked in the face is a good time to slip in a profession of undying love for a girl, you seriously need to get your head checked. And did you even _hear_ yourself? After what you said, I figured I was doing you a favor by shooting you down. Now you can go hook up with some brainless, blond bimbo and not get stuck with an abomination like me."

"I see," he spoke in a dangerously low tone. "Because I didn't lie about the glaringly obvious reasons why us together would be a disgrace, your-"

"Sweet talk me some more, Romeo," she said bitingly.

"-your feelings," Will adamantly pushed on, as if he had not been interrupted, "got hurt. Well, I hope you will forgive me for not exactly leaping for joy at this entire predicament. Perhaps if my words had been a bit more flowery, if I had praised you, if I had worshiped the damn ground you walked on - perhaps then you would have happily accepted me instead of refusing out of spite in the most painful and unfeeling way you could think of."

Liz snorted sharply at that. "Don't flatter yourself, Casanova. First off, I could think of a _several_ more painful ways to refuse you. Secondly, if you had not behaved like the imbecilic ass that you are, the only difference would have been that I might have felt a little guiltier about turning you down. Thankfully, your complete lack of class and charm spared me any small amount of grief I would have felt. No, my reasons for rejecting you are far more complicated than mere wounded pride."

Features stony, Will stated simply, "Please, elaborate."

"As if you don't know," Liz snapped. However, when Will just stared expectantly at her, she continued a bit more lightly, "Alright, maybe three little words will jog your memory: Jane... Charlie... KAPOW!" She waved her arms about erratically to demonstrate an explosion, throwing the hair curler from her hand in the process. It perilously flew by Will's head, singeing a few golden hairs as it passed, to crash into a nearby wall and fell, several small and now broken pieces clattering down with it. To his credit, Will did not even flinch. Breathing a little more heavily from the exertion, Liz huffed, "Ring any bells? Since, you know, it was your hand on the detonator?"

"If you are referring to the separation of my friend from your sister, then I will gladly say that yes, it was me. I don't feel the need to hide it, nor do I feel bad about it. I saw what Charlie couldn't see, that he needed help, so I helped him. If only I had been smart enough to do the same for myself."

Anger flaring, Liz asked, "Are you _trying_ to get hit again? Aiming for a fat lip to go with that broken nose of yours?" Clenching her fist, she took a step towards him. This time, Will had the decency to back up, even if it was almost imperceptible. Now standing just as frigidly as Will, though not nearly as tall, Liz spat venomously, "Jane and Charlie didn't need you stepping in all high and mighty, thinking Jane a vulture after his money and Charlie too stupid to think for himself. They didn't need your _entirely_ unwelcome help. They were happy. They were in _love._ And now... now, I've lost count of the number of times I've found my sister crumpled in a heap, crying herself a tiny river."

"Don't be so dramatic," Will chided, though Liz did not miss the flicker of uncertainty in Will's eyes, no matter how brief.

Spurred on by this split second of weakness, Liz viciously pushed on, "If that's not enough of a reason for me to loathe the very core of your black hearted existence, then I have another story to share. That of a young gentleman whom we both know and surely love who fell on hard times due to a certain someone who shall remain nameless, a villain if you will. This dear friend of ours had an _awful_ lot to say about you, things which allowed me to see you for the scum that you really are. And the name of the delightful chap, you're wondering? Why, it's-"

In the space of a breath, Will had closed the distance between himself and Liz. He now loomed ominously over her and had a tight grip around her arm in an attempt to silence her. He demanded quietly, "Don't you dare say it."

Liz smiled wickedly back up at him. It almost took all the fun out of it, how easy Will made it to defy him. The brunette stated simply, "George Wickham." Will's hand squeezed harder on her arm, though he probably didn't realize it. It did not hurt Liz, but she did notice her hand was beginning to feel numb. She whispered almost conspiratorially, "Now look who's being so dramatic."

He drew his hand back as quickly as if it had been burnt and took a few steps back, probably just now realizing what he had been doing. White marks were left on Liz's arm that were already beginning to fade. Unable to maintain an aloof look on his face, Will now openly glared in fury down at her. "You certainly were quick to take an interest in _his_ life, weren't you?"

"Knowing the problems he's faced, who wouldn't?" Liz easily shot back.

"Oh yes, with how rough he's had it, it's a wonder he made it this far," Will growled bitterly. A thick, heavy silence fell between the two of them now. Both were waiting for the other to make their next move, both were standing as stiff as boards and both were more furious than a swarm of hornets from Hades. Finally, Will spoke again. "Is that everything?"

Crossing her arms, Liz drummed her fingers thoughtfully for a second. "Hmm, is that everything? Let's see... one broken sister thanks to you? Check. One pauper friend, also thanks to you? Double check. Yup, I think that about sums it up."

Will visibly seethed but managed to keep his voice even, all be it a bit cynical, when he spoke. "Well, Elizabeth, I must thank you for making it _quite_ clear what a wretched human being I make." He paused briefly, gathering himself, and then shifted his eyes to her neck. "While these completely heinous crimes I've committed make it absolutely impossible for you to ever accept me, it pleases me greatly that you can manage to overlook them long enough to keep the gift I gave you. I'm sure the value did not play _any_ part on your decision at all."

It took Liz a second to realize what exactly he was talking about, at which point she looked down at the emerald necklace, gleaming innocently against her collar bone. So Will had been the one to give it to her. That did not surprise her. Deep down, some part of her had known all along... she had just refused to admit it. She had not wanted to begin to even contemplate the implications of such a gift from him. Given her current situation, she had had good reason.

To be honest, she had completely forgotten she had been wearing the thing, almost from the very moment that Red had slipped it around her neck. But now, looking at it, this piece of jewelry that was oblivious to the fight it had just become the middle of, and hearing Will's words echo through her mind, Liz's temper slowly reached its boiling point. She snapped her head back up to scowl at him directly in the eye. "How _dare_ you imply such a thing, you pompous jerk! I don't even want this stupid, useless piece of junk. In fact," she paused to snatch the pendant with a clenched hand and yanked it off, the tiny, fragile clip at back easily breaking, "here, take your precious gift back, you asshole!" She threw it at him, her aim so direct that Will was forced to dodge. It slammed into the door behind him with a sharp, high-pitched thunk and fell, leaving a small, but deep dent in the door. "I hope you kept the goddamn receipt so you can get your money back!"

Will looked like he had a scathing retort on the tip of his tongue, but then he stopped, staring at her oddly. Liz did not know what had halted him. That is, not until she felt something warm and wet at the corner of her eyes. _Oh geeze, this is not the time for crying, you stupid girl,_ Liz thought savagely. She ignored it even as she felt the first tear roll down her cheek. Instead, she focused all her attention on glaring at him stubbornly, willing him to continue. This was not over.

However, Will seemed to have lost all the fight in him. His jaw was clenched, but his face had paled a bit and become somewhat detached looking. Without a word, he turned and slowly left the restroom, paying no mind to the discarded necklace on the tiled floor. She gaped at his retreating back, which seemed to only piss her off more. Repeat, this was _not_ over. It could not be over... she _needed_ it to not be over. She needed to keep fighting. If they stopped...

She ran to the door, almost tripping over the elegant dress she had no idea she was wearing anymore. Stopping on the threshold into the guestroom, Liz gripped a hand on each side of the frame to steady herself as she watched Will about to disappear into the hall. Enraged and in a last, desperate attempt to get a rise out of him, Liz bellowed after him, "William Darcy, I wouldn't be with a bastard like you if you were the last man on the entire earth!"

The words did have an effect on him, for he froze midstep. However, they did not seem to evoke any anger. It was hard to tell what they did to him, for he did not turn to face her. After a few seconds past, he started walking again and with a much faster pace. He was gone before Liz could think of anything else hurtful to say.

Liz stared blankly at the door Will had exited through. She had needed to keep fighting. If she and Will stopped... Liz, suddenly feeling and looking very deflated, sank to her knees, her skirts crumpling dreadfully. The tears now flowed freely, rapidly and heavily from her eyes. Ignoring how hard it was getting to breath, she pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes, trying to stop the stream. If she and Will stopped fighting... then the real crying would start. Had started.

_Oh god, why won't it stop?_

* * *

It was Charlotte who found Liz a couple hours later, still on the floor, still sobbing, though she had run out of tears long ago. And it was Charlotte who helped lead Liz back to her room, cleaned her up, and tucked her into bed. Charlotte did not bother asking what had happened. She already had an idea, what with the way Will had left dinner early that night, the state she had discovered Liz in, the broken necklace - which she had rescued from the bathroom floor - and the condition of the poor, unfortunate hair curler, which had styled its last lock. Sure, Charlotte did not know the details, but she did not need to, at least not immediately. Instead, Charlotte simply left the abused necklace on the nightstand next to her friend's bed and silently bid Liz good night.

And it was Charlotte who could be heard asking the next morning, "And just what do you think your doing?"

Liz, hair wild from a restless night, was in one of Rosings Park's many kitchen, the smallest but most used. She was standing in front of a rather large sink - one of a kind, imported from France - arm outstretched over the basin and dangling the emerald necklace from her fingers. The sounds of the deadly, whirring blades of the garbage disposal could be heard.

"What does it look like? I'm banishing this evil from our plane of existence," Liz replied matter-of-factly, not looking at her friend, just watching intently as she lowered the piece of jewelry closer to the drain. She was slightly red around the eyes, the only real sign of her breakdown from the night before. Beyond that, she looked fine, one might even say upbeat. It was hard to keep a girl like Liz down.

"Won't that possibly damage the garbage disposal?" Charlotte questioned with a smirk, sidling up next to Liz and leaning her elbows on the edge of the sink with her.

Liz was unfazed. "So? It's De Bourgh's sink."

"Yeah... and it's De Bourgh who'll charge you for repairs," she pointed out.

Halting the necklace's decent, Liz contemplated that for a second. Then shrugged, "It's a small price to pay... for justice!" She let go of the broken chain to let the pendant fall to its doom. However, Charlotte was quick to snatch it out of the air. Liz shot her friend a pouting scowl, but Charlotte unconcernedly just flicked off the power to the compacter. Liz muttered, "Traitor."

"Drama Queen," Charlotte shot back with a teasing smile.

"How'd you even find me so fast?" Liz turned and slumped down slowly until she was sitting on the floor.

Charlotte took a cross-legged seat next to her as she responded, "I ran into the cook."

Liz quirked an eyebrow. "Her? I liked her. She offered to make me breakfast when I came in. I thought we bonded."

"She said a crazy girl with a mad gleam in her eye came into the kitchen and started cackling maniacally over the garbage disposal."

"She exaggerated! I wasn't cackling... giggling, maybe. And I wouldn't say it was maniacal so much as... gleeful."

Chuckling, Charlotte just nodded. After a few seconds of silence, she then looked at Liz seriously. "So... want to talk about it?"

Liz made a noise that came out half a sigh, half a growl as she hugged her knees close to her chest. "Will's an ass," she stated decisively.

"Oh? How come?"

"He kissed me!" Liz blurted out disgustedly.

Charlotte's eyes lit up. "And...?" she pressed eagerly, looking a lot less offended than Liz would have hoped her to be, and more like she was waiting for the juicy details.

"_And,_" she went on angrily, "he told me he _loved_ me!"

"The fiend! Doesn't he know there's a law against that? You must press charges immediately!" her friend teased.

Liz shot Charlotte a look, disgruntled. "You weren't there. You didn't hear some of the things he said, about me, about my family, about my friends... none of it was nice, let me tell you."

"Give the guy a break, it's not like Will's the first guy to make a fool out of himself around the person he's in love with."

Liz cringed as she muttered, "Please don't say the L-word again." It was still sinking in. That Will had had felt _that_ way about her for who knows how long. And that she had had no idea all this time... she had thought he completely hated her. It was frightening to think that she inspired such a strong attraction in someone without even trying, without even desiring such a thing.

With a dismissive flick of her hand, Charlotte went on, "He probably didn't mean any of the bad stuff he said anyway."

"Oh, he meant it alright," Liz said darkly. "Besides insulting everything and everyone I care about, did you know he's the one who broke Charlie and Jane up?" Charlotte frowned, and then slowly shook her head. "That's right. He not only owned up to it last night, he seemed damn proud of himself too. And when I confronted him about what he had done to George, he acted like it was no big deal."

Shaking her head again, Charlotte sighed, "Man, when it comes to botching asking a girl out, seems like Will takes the cake. I almost feel sorry for the guy."

"I don't. He's nothing more than a low, pigheaded, egotistical, dim-witted-"

"Is a bad thing I only heard the last half of that sentence and I already get the feeling I know who you're talking about?" came a new voice.

Both Liz and Charlotte turned their heads in unison to find the source. "Red!" Liz cried happily when she saw him walking into the kitchen to join them. The happiness was short lived however, as she glanced behind him suspiciously. "_He's_ not with you, is he?"

"Who? Will? The - I'm assuming - pigheaded, egotistical, yadda yadda, guy you were talking about? Nah. He's long gone by now," Red answered, leaning against a counter next the girls and eyeing a nearby bowl of fruit speculatively.

"Where'd he go?" Charlotte asked. Liz certainly was not going to, that part did not matter. All she cared about was that he was not here.

He shrugged as he plucked a banana from the bowl. "I dunno. His home, maybe? All I know is I didn't see him all night after he disappeared from dinner. And then he wakes me up at five in the morning, banging his luggage around as he packed all his stuff up. Probably had been out driving all night after..." he stopped peeling the banana as he glanced at Liz, before shrugging again. "... after what happened. He looked like hell, and he didn't appreciate me telling me so," Red laughed, before taking a bite out of his snack. "All he really said was he couldn't stick around, that he had to leave as soon as possible. So he went."

"And you didn't go with him?" Liz inquired almost immediately. She found that part odd; Will had been Red's ride here after all.

"Nope. But believe you me, I'm splitting as soon as possible, gonna have Jeeves bring the limo around in a bit. Without Will here, I really don't have a reason to stay, nor do I want to be here when Ol' Coot Catherine realizes he's flown the coop early and without even saying goodbye. Oh yeah, that'll be a treat." Having already reduced the banana to nothing more than a peel, he tossed it over his shoulder, effortlessly landing it in the trash can.

All three of them could easily imagine Catherine's reaction as they shared in a collective shudder. Liz still found herself wondering, "If you're planning on leaving any minute anyway, why'd you stay this long?"

"Because, I had to give you..." Red answered as he dug a hand into one of the large pockets of his cargo pants and procured a folded up envelope,"... this. And before you ask, yes, it's from the lowly, dim-witted one." Liz stared at the envelope he offered her for a second before looking back up at Red, scrunching her nose up as if he were trying to hand her something very repulsive. He laughed, "Oh, don't look at me like that. Come on, just read it. It's the least you can do. You owe him after punching him in the nose."

"You punched him in the nose?" Charlotte questioned in shock.

"Sorta... only a little bit," Liz mumbled guiltily, using her index finger and thumb to indicate just how little.

Red flashed a sly grin. "Ha, is that all? Coulda fooled me, what with his nose swelling and the dried blood. Was kinda funny, actually..."

Charlotte's voice went up an octave, "You gave him a _bloody_ nose?"

"He kissed me!" Liz snapped defensively.

Sighing, Charlotte remarked, "Hopeless, both you _and_ Will. I don't even want to know how or why the hair curler got broken."

"There was a hair curler involved?" Red asked curiously, before smiling deviously. "_Int_eresting."

"Alright! I'll take the stupid letter, just stop puzzling together what happened last night!" Liz stated grumpily as she snatched the envelope from Red's hand.

"Great," Red replied, happy at a job well done. He then began backing up out of the kitchen. "Now, hate to eat and run, but there's a limo out there with my name on it. It was a pleasure meeting you two lovely ladies, and I hope we can do it again sometime. Remember, I'll always be just a call away. Until then, adios!" He slipped out the door, the last thing visible being his hand as he waved it in farewell.

The girls called their goodbyes after him before Charlotte turned back to her friend. "I should probably go too, give you some alone time to read that," she nodded her head to indicate the letter. "And now that you've calmed down a bit, I think its safe to give you this back." She slid the necklace she had saved earlier into Liz's free hand. "But just keep in mind, the disposal is off limits. If you need me, you'll know where to find me." Charlotte picked herself up off the floor and dusted herself off a bit before she left as well, leaving a rather dismal Liz behind.

Liz deliberated over the envelope for a few minutes. There were plenty of knives in the drawers for shredding it. Or, perhaps she could set it on fire using the stove burners. The compacter was not a possibility, but the blender had merit. The kitchen in general was fast becoming the favorite place of the destructive side of her personality. However, Red's words kept bouncing around in her head. _It's the least you can do... you owe him..._ She didn't feel like she owed that creep anything. Still, it kept bothering her. And... as much as she hated to admit it, she was a little curious what Will had to say for himself after last night. Finally, she gave in, pulling the letter out of the envelope none to gently, unfolding it, and beginning to read.

The letter itself was all written on one rumpled sheet of paper. Will's handwriting was small - allowing for him to fit quite a bit in the limited amount of space - and elegant, but smudged in many places, as if he had been writing quickly, his hand not able to keep up with his thoughts. Several words had been crossed out and overwritten with other, presumably more appropriate words, and many of those were scribbled out as well. A most prominent example of this was the very top of the letter, where Will seemed to have had a hard time figuring out how to begin. _'Hello,' 'Dear Eliz' _(he had stopped mid-name), _'To Whom it May Concern,'_ and many other similarly awkward openers were blotted out. Finally, he had simply settled on,

_Elizabeth, _

_I imagine you would sooner feed this note to wild, rabid dogs than actually read it, much less willingly and with an open heart. After our last meeting, I really would not blame you. However, I write it still, hoping on the slightest chance that you deign to skim through it, perhaps looking for a bit of amusement. Do not worry, this is not a repeat of the feelings which nauseated you so earlier. Nor is this a plea for forgiveness. This is merely a means by which to explain some matters that are in desperate need of clarification. _

_Firstly, in regards to Jane and Charlie. Again I will say it, and without shame, that yes, it was me who broke them up. But allow me to explain myself. When they first met each other, I did not pay it too much mind. However, as time went on and things seemed to grow more serious, I started to observe them more closely. Charlie had dated girls before, but I had never seen him fall for someone as hard as he did for Jane. I'd dare say that, as you pointed out, he was falling in love. However, I failed to see the same in Jane. Sure, she always seemed happy around him and welcomed his attentions. But I heard her on many occasions insist that the two of them were only friends and indeed, any public interaction between her and Charlie she always kept strictly modest and friendly. And when I heard your friends, especially that gossipy redhead RA of yours, talking about the two of them as a couple, it made me suspect the possibility that your sister might be hiding something. The best scenario being she simply did not reciprocate his feelings. The worst scenario being that she was leading Charlie on only for his money, perhaps trying to hide her plot from everyone else by hiding behind the "just friends" excuse. Whatever the case was, I felt that I had to save my friend. I knew it would hurt him, but I thought it would spare him even greater pain if it continued to go on far too long. _

_Since I thought Jane had no truly deep feelings for Charlie, I did not believe I would be doing her any real harm by separating them. I may have been somewhat biased by my fear for my friend's well being. However, I always strive to not let my decisions be influenced by my own hopes and fears. Thus, that was my opinion formed through the eyes of an outside, hopefully impartial observer of the situation. My eyes may have been inadequate though when compared to the eyes of a loving and better knowing sister. If I judged poorly, then I sincerely apologize for any pain I may have caused to Jane. It was unconsciously done. _

_Secondly, I'd like to discuss our, as you called him, "dear friend" George Wickham. I don't know what he has been telling you, but I can only assume it is anything but the truth, for if you knew our history, you would not defend him so enthusiastically. Let me enlighten you then. All that I ask is that you do not spread around the story you are about to read. _

_His parents and mine had known each other for many, many years, well before either had decided to have kids. So when we were born, it was no surprise that they raised us together. Despite George being a year older than me, we did grow up friends, at least at first. He was much more outgoing than I was, often weird at best and I'm not quite sure that we ever really "mixed" well, but I won't deny that we had some fun years together. _

_Those times came to an end when I was six years old. There was this dinner party that both his and my parents were invited to. We were too young to go, George and me and especially Giana, my little sister, so they had just hired a babysitter watch us. At the last minute, work made it so my father couldn't go, so my mother just carpooled with the Wickhams. It was a rainy night and the roads were windy. Needless to say, they got into a car accident. None of them survived. _

_My father, of course, took the news hard, but somehow managed to stay strong, at least in front of his children. He kept a level head and did what he needed to do, including taking George into his home. He may have distanced himself, throwing himself into his work, but he still did his best. I was sad of course, but at that age, I don't think I fully comprehended the gravity of what had occurred, or quite knew how to deal with it. I became more solitary, a quieter child than I had been even before. While the tragedy caused me to isolate myself, it seemed to have quite the opposite affect on George. He became more wild and harder to control. He would skip out on classes, play pranks that only he found funny, and break everything and anything, from the rules to the expensive and fragile. More often then not he got away with it, but the times he did get caught, he would blame it all on me. He would make it seem like I was the troubled child acting out because my mother was dead. And my father, partly due to how heavily he buried himself in his work and partly because he never really stopped feeling sorry for the completely parentless George, would always believe him. I think it goes without saying that George and I grew apart. _

_George only became worse as we got older. By high school, he was drinking, smoking, inhaling whatever he could get his hands on, sneaking out of the house, hanging out with the wrong crowds, using girls for materialistic needs and other needs... I think you get the picture. I hardly recognized who he had become, we barely talked anymore with how little we even saw of each other. It did not even seem like we lived in the same house anymore. My father was all but blind to the changes in George, for at this time he spent all of his days and most of his nights at his company. _

_It is probably was got to him in the end. During my junior year of high school, George's senior year, my father suffered a heart attack. He was rushed to a hospital where they tried to save him, but he didn't make it. _

_It seemed my father had long ago put his affairs in order, possibly back when my mother had died. Of course, his will stated that most of his money was to be left for Giana and me. However, he had put aside a small fortune for his adoptive son, George, as well. It was enough to pay for a good college and, if he struck out in the right career, he could have gone far with the remainder. However, upon his graduation from high school, he demanded his money and vanished with it. He never really showed any remorse from my father's death, and we were hardly the best of friends at this point. His disappearance did not come as a surprise, nor did it evoke any particular sadness on my part. At that point, it almost felt a blessing to be rid of him. Unfortunately, it did not last. _

_Over a year later, during the summer after my high school graduation, he reappeared at the door asking for more money. I don't know what he had spent all his funds on in such a short time, but I assume it had little to nothing to do with furthering his education. I refused him, knowing full well that any more money given to him I may as well have been throwing down the drain. However, he was persistent. He kept returning every few days, always asking the same thing. I doubt he actually believed I would eventually give in, so it's hard to say why he kept coming. Perhaps he was waiting for me not to be home so he could break in and steal something. _

_He did eventually get that, for one day he showed up while I was out. However, the house was not empty... Giana answered the door. While he had been growing up, George had never really paid my sister much attention. However, Giana was now fifteen and turning into quite the young woman. George probably noticed that and some... unspeakable things must have started going through his head, for he overpowered her at the door. He dragged her into the house and when she tried to struggle, he hit her repeatedly. Luckily, Giana was not alone in the house, our housekeeper had been there as well. She heard Giana shouting and tried to come help her... I fear she took quite a beating herself. However, she was able to fend him off long enough for me to get home in time. I swear I almost murdered him. However, I let him go with his skin mostly intact, if not bloody and bruised. He did not come back asking for anymore hand outs after that. I thought myself and my family completely free of him at last. That is, until that day at the Boardwalk that I saw you... with him... _

_Anyway, that is the full and complete truth on that subject. I can imagine it highly contradicts with whatever George has told you, which I'm sure you had no trouble believing at the time, for you had no reason to think him a liar. However, I hope that you now see that you have been led astray. If it helps, you can talk to Red about this for he was around during most of the events I've described. _

_At this point, there is little left for me to say... beyond if I caused you any harm, I did not mean to. If I could undo it, I would. But since the past is the past and unchangeable, I suppose all I can leave you with is _

_I'm sorry. _

_Yours,  
William Darcy_

A whole range of emotions ran through Liz as she read the letter, none of them positive. She was numb, she was infuriated, she was cold, she was ready to explode! She crumpled the paper up vehemently into a ball, squeezing it in her fist until her knuckles turn white. Lies and excuses. The entire letter. It had to be! She hated it, almost as much as she hated the person who had written it. As she grew angrier with each passing second, she clenched down further on the balled up note. _There is NO way any of this can be true,_ her thoughts snarled, as she gritted her teeth.

All the while she was ignoring a voice at the back of her mind. One tiny, simple, almost unnoticeable voice, a voice her rage did not allow her to hear, a voice she was not ready to hear. The voice asked, _...could it?_

_

* * *

__**A/N:**_ Whew! I never thought this chapter would we so hard to write! I mean yah, it's THE chapter, the one that can often make or break any p&p fanfic, but still, I just thought I would have to work a little harder at it, not wrestle with the damn thing! And honestly, I'm not sure what I think of the outcome. I love some parts of it, and other parts... not so much. I guess, overall, I'm okay with it. Mostly, I'm just glad it's DONE. I hope you readers enjoyed it and that it didn't disappoint anyone!

As for me, what's kept me so long? Well, one, the whole struggle to write this thing as I mentioned. But two, and more importantly, I got a job! Woooo! It's not a particularly exciting job, but the people there are nice and really cool. I mean, my boss is a scottish punk dude with a blonde and pink-tipped mohawk! This job is sweet! Definitely not some place I want to be for the rest of my life, but it'll do for now while I save up my money. Also, a big thing that slowed me down was a jerk roommate got me and my boyfriend kicked out of our house... all because the jerk got into a fight with OTHER roommates and we got caught up in the cross fire. So yah, we were just innocent bystanders. Blah, its okay tho now, we were only homeless for like a day, then we found a nice condo for rent the next day with a chill landlord and immediately moved in. So now, everything's good :D

I don't know how soon the next chapter is going to come out. I know what's going to happen in it, it's just a matter of time and if it gives me as much of a struggle as this one did. It shouldn't, since its not as big an event as this one was, but we'll see. Until next time!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Liz could no longer stay at Rosings Park. Since the bloodbath that had occurred between her and Will happened in a hallway that bore a striking resemblance to the rest of the mansion, Liz found she could not go anywhere without being constantly reminded of it. She had enough to think about already, she did not need Rosings Park playing its mind games on her as well. After bearing one more day there, she found she could no longer stand it.

Besides, Miss De Bourgh was hardly being the most hospitable hostess. Ever since their run-in before dinner - which now seemed like a skip through a cartoon daisy field compared to World War III with Will - Miss De Bourgh had been giving Liz the cold shoulder, even colder than it had been before. She would ignore Liz's presence entirely, talk over her as if Liz was in the middle of saying something, and would take up most of Charlotte's time, often leaving Liz with no one but her own lonesome self for entertainment.

With Red now gone and Charlotte having of her time monopolized by the lady of the house, Liz found little reason to stay. And so, the second Charlotte manage to slip from De Bourgh's clutches, Liz packed her belongings and the two of them hopped into the Porsche, speeding off to UCSC.

"You sure you don't want me to stay here with you the last few days of break?" Charlotte asked once back on campus, as Liz got the last of her bags out of the backseat and dumped them unceremoniously onto the sidewalk.

"For the last time, yes, I'm positive," Liz answer, flashing a small, reassuring smile. "Your future mother-in-law would have my head on a platter if I stole you away, you're her only prisoner- I mean 'guest' left since Will and Red hightailed it out of there. And now I'm gone... though I doubt she'll miss me much. Besides, Collin nearly flipped out when you mentioned you were even just thinking about leaving Rosings Park a few days early."

Charlotte exhaled heavily as she drummed her fingers along the steering wheel. "True. His head looked like it was about ready to explode at the idea of me doing something so 'improper.'" She rolled her eyes, and then looked at Liz steadily. "But you do know that if you _did_ want me to stay, I wouldn't let them stop me, right?"

Liz grinned a little wider. "I know. Wild fiancés and raging in-laws couldn't keep you away."

Her friend laughed, and then managed a halfhearted pout. "I still wish you'd tell me exactly what happened. Or at least let me look at the letter. I don't even have to read it, I could just skim it, not even all of it, just a little, a smidge."

"Sorry, Charlotte," she shook her head with a sigh. "It's not that I don't want to... it's just that I think there's some stuff I need to figure out on my own first. Besides," she paused for a second, thinking about Jane," ... if I'm going to talk about it to anyone, there's someone else I should tell first, since they're somewhat involved."

"Cryptic much?" Charlotte teased. "Oh well. Just remember, if you need me, I'm only a call away." Charlotte started her car with a roar from the engine.

"Will do. See ya when the quarter starts."

Charlotte lazily waved a hand, pushed a pair of designer sunglasses up the bridge of her nose, and raced out of the parking lot. She only swerved once to avoid a car coming in the other way. Her driving was getting better!

Liz sighed again, threw her bags over her shoulder and headed back to her apartment. It was funny how Will's letter felt heavier in her pocket than her luggage felt on her back. The necklace was tucked away in the envelope with it. Her anger had greatly diminished over the past couple of days since she had read it, a sense of calm coming over her. She did not necessarily believe what was written in it... but she also found, to her displeasure, she could not so easily disbelieve it. She honestly did not know what to think.

She did however have time to figure it out as the winter quarter began. Classes were starting and not that much homework was being assigned as of yet. She was taking a creative writing class with Charlotte and an astronomy class with Jane for Gen Ed credit, with a painting class on the side just for the fun of it. Luc was just as much a goofball as ever while Missy was still loud and quite the busybody, but she managed to tone it down a bit around Jane. Of course, Liz's twin insisted that she was perfectly fine, no one needed to try to step lightly around her. But somehow, though her smile was just as bright as ever, it seemed a little sadder now. After the long winter vacation, Mary was getting back into performing her songs at the downtown coffee shop. Her talent had caused her to grow a bit in popularity, though the girl still remained rather shy and soft-spoken when talked to directly. As for Lydia, she stayed true to her word and had taken a break from guys. A huge chunk of time had been freed up now that she was on a dating hiatus. To fill the gap, she and Kitty tried out for the UCSC cheerleading squad. Lydia got in, Kitty did not. However, Kitty did not seem to mind... she was not the one on a break, so she simply penciled a few more boys into her schedule.

To sum it up: not a whole lot was happening.

So, Liz found herself often rereading the letter over and over again whenever she could... when alone in her room, when riding the bus, in class when no one was looking... always trying to figure out what to believe, if anything, and what not to. Strangers would often see her glaring at the note, as if she were trying to force the truth out of it. That was part of it... the other part was trying to figure out why Will even bothered writing it. It was not like they were ever going to see each other again, what was he trying to achieve? And did he think that just because he wrote it, it _must_ be true and Liz, realizing her mistake, would burst into tears, wondering why she had been so blind? Not that simple. Instead, all Will had managed to do to her was cause her one massive headache as her thoughts went around in circles, chasing the tails of each other.

First there was the Jane and Charlie thing. Kudos to him for admitting he was wrong. However, that did not change the fact that he had done it. Did he believe he could just say sorry and all would be forgiven? That his apology would erase everything as if it had never happened? Liz almost wished it were so easy. However, Jane was still a broken shell of what she used to be, no matter how much she tried to hide it. Liz could not ignore that. If Will were truly sorry, he would not have just written a letter... he would do _something_ to fix it. It may not be something so quickly fixed, but he could at least try.

And Liz was still undecidedly torn between whether she should tell Jane what had happened or not. On the one hand, she felt her sister had a right to know. The break between her and Charlie had been so sudden and without real explanation, making it particularly painful since it left Jane wondering where it had gone wrong. On the other hand, Liz did not know if telling her would really do any good. It would not change the fact that it had still happened, and it might only make Jane more depressed. It was not like she had any way to contact Charlie once she knew the truth.

And then there was the whole George debacle. Here, Liz's thoughts faltered a bit. It was Will's word against George's... two entirely different stories. How she desired to just side with George and simply write off Will's words as a bunch of lies. Unfortunately, that was easier said that done. It did not help that compared to Will's detailed account of what had happened, George's version seemed to have a lot of holes. Whereas Will had given rather specific times, events, and in depth thoughts as to why he believed certain things happened when they happened, George had glossed over most of their history and just gotten straight to the part that made Will look bad... and even that had not really been elaborated much upon. Thus, with the two stories standing side by side, George's seemed rather flimsy.

However, Liz was not about to just give up on George just because his presentation had not been as good. And so, the main cause of her growing headache was the constant weighing of the two sides against each other. The worst part was neither offered any real proof, just their own word, one against the other. True, Will had at least offered to let Liz check with Red. However, that did not help much. Though she liked Red, his word was just about as good as Will's. Plus, Red had thought the whole Charlie and Jane fiasco had been a good thing... if only he had known that Jane was her sister... hell, if only he had known _Jane_. That aside, she felt it was safe enough to assume that Red's opinion would be slightly biased. Liz would have find her answer else where.

It seemed the answer was going to find her, or try to anyway. As if the universe was trying to throw her a few cosmic hints, she kept seeing George everywhere on campus as the weeks rolled by. Liz never talked to him, just always happened to spot him on the other side of the quad or entering a classroom or in line to order lunch. He always seemed to be with some girl, a different one each time. There was even one point when she watched as he shared a rather passionate goodbye kiss with one girl only to walk off to meet another girl, slip an arm around her waist and casually letting his hand slide down to her rear as she just giggled flirtatiously.

Though Liz would often roll her eyes and look away in disgust, this did not prove anything to her. It did make her wonder at how she could have somehow not seen all this previously - before he was practically nonexistent except for the couple times they hung out. Now, as if throwing it in her face without even realizing it, she could not turn a corner without seeing George with another chick hanging off him. However, just because he was a player, it did not make him a liar.

What she needed was something, _any_thing to show one way or another who was right and who as wrong.

She got her opportunity to find out one day about a month into the quarter while riding a UCSC bus on her way to class. It was crowded since everyone else was heading to their own classes as well, so Liz found herself standing in the aisle, swaying with each turn in the road. As the bus shuddered to a stop to squeeze a few more students in, the doors swung open and the first person to step on was none other than George himself. For once, it seemed he was alone for no girls followed him onto the bus. His eyes fell on her and brightened. He grinned broadly at her as he pushed past a few other standing passengers to get to her. She returned the smile, if a little weakly. At this point, she did not know how to react to him.

"Liz!" He cried exuberantly when he reached her. "Long time no see, you look great! How have you been?"

"Okay," she answered somewhat stiffly.

He did not seem to notice as he went on, "Sweet, same here. Have you heard? Basketball has been a great season for us so far, we've been on a winning streak. It was my 3-pointer that won the last game."

"Swell. Go Slugs."

George's smirk faltered a bit as he detected her tone. However, he continued just as merrily, "And how was your Winter Break?"

A spark of an idea popped into Liz's head and she smiled a bit more genuinely, though not for his benefit. "It was... interesting."

"Uh oh, why do I get the feeling it was anything but?" he laughed.

"Oh no, it was. I spent it with Charlotte... and Will."

He blanched at that. "Really? How'd that come about?"

"Kind of a crazy coincidence. Charlotte is engaged to some guy from some family that goes way back with Will's family. Charlotte was going to stay with her fiancé's family for the holidays and she invited me to go along. Apparently, the family also invited Will and his cousin."

"Ah." He was beginning to relax again as he asked, "So, you were stuck with Will for a couple weeks. That must have sucked."

Liz thoughtfully pursed her lips. "Actually, it wasn't so bad."

George raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really. Will actually had some fascinating stories to tell."

"I'll bet. About what?" His grin broadened as if he were waiting for the punch line.

She locked her eyes with his and stated indifferently, "About you."

He blinked, then laughed again, though somewhat nervously. "I'm sure they were pretty funny."

In dead seriousness, she replied, "Not really."

The laughter died in his throat as he waited for Liz to go on. She simply stared back at him expectantly. No longer able to look her in the eye, George glanced around anxiously and visibly gulped. "Well, what d'ya know?" he exclaimed as the bus came to a halt. "This is my stop! Catch you later, Liz!" He began to push his way to the back exit, a bit more urgently than he had before.

"But you just got on the last stop," Liz called after him.

Not even bothering to look back, he answered as he hopped down onto the sidewalk, "I didn't need to go far, just the bookstore."

Liz frowned. "But the bookstore's still on the other side of campus."

If he had planned to respond or had even heard her, nothing could be done about it now. The bus doors had swung to a close and it pushed on down its route.

As Liz sat through her next class, she zoned out the professor entirely. There was no way she could concentrate on the lecture, not with what had just happened. Jane was sitting next to her anyway, taking notes on the types of planets and stars; she would just go over those later. But the encounter with George, the way he had reacted... could you say suspicious? She did not know what she had expected. Maybe for him to ask questions, find out a little more about Will's "stories", maybe for him to adamantly argue not to listen to a word Will said, something - anything but that. George had practically run in terror from her at the slightest nudge, he had not even wanted to hear another word. Perhaps it was because he knew what she was going to say. And perhaps it was because what she was going to say... was true.

"That rat bastard!" Liz snapped in the middle of class.

The lecturer fell silent as he and the rest of the class turned to look at her. She stared wide eyed around at everyone, slowly slouching down into her chair. After a few seconds she flicked her hands a couple of times and said meekly, "You may continue."

The professor smiled sardonically. "Thank you." He turned back to the large PowerPoint display, "Now, as you can see, the Red Giant..."

"Still have it out for Will, eh?" Jane whispered next to her as she scribbled down some more notes.

Liz shook her head rapidly. "No, different bastard."

"Ah."

Jane left Liz alone to stew. If the letter really was true - and at this point, it was looking pretty damn convincing - then she could not believe how she had let herself be so easily pulled in by George. That jerk had stood there and lied to her face without a care in the world. And she had let him, all because of her dislike for Will, a sob story and a pretty face. Well, George's pretty face was not going get him anywhere anymore, not with her anyway. She hated him. She hated his grin, his hair, his jersey, his...

Suddenly, all thoughts of George stopped. Something was bothering Liz at the back of her mind, and it had all started when she had pictured his jersey. _Jersey. Basketball Jersey. Basketball team. Basketball teams need... cheerleaders._ Her mind was silent for a second, then it clicked. _Lydia's a cheerleader!_ That meant she and George would be going to meets together all the time, both on and off campus. Despite Lydia not currently dating, she still liked boys... and she especially liked George, she had made that clear at The Boardwalk when they had all first met him. And it was no secret George like girls, particularly ones like Lydia.

Words from Will's letter came back to Liz... _using girls for materialistic needs and other needs...unspeakable things must have started going through his head, for he overpowered her...when she tried to struggle, he hit her repeatedly... _Liz shuddered as the pit of her stomach began to churn with a growing fear for Lydia's safety

"You're her brother, talk to her!" Liz could be heard saying later that evening when she got back to the apartment. She had looked for Lydia, but was unable to find her, so she went for the next best thing: Luc. He had been lounging on their living room couch, watching TV and eating food he had stolen from their fridge. He seemed to be the only one home currently.

"And tell her what? Liz has gone off her rocker and demands you drop out of cheerleading?" Luc laughed, not taking his eyes off the television. He had at least had the decency to lower the volume when she had started talking to him.

"No!" she responded. She was struggling to find a good reason to tell him why Lydia should quit the team. After all, Will had asked in the letter for her not to talk to other people about what had happened. "Just... tell her you don't think it's good for her!"

"You're kidding, right?" Luc glanced in her direction, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Since she's joined that team, she's stop jumping on every male specimen that walks on two legs. If anything, I think this has been great for her."

Liz bit her lip. "But... er... but she's always having to leave for matches against other campuses, don't you fret while she's gone?"

"Um, no? What do you think I am, some sort of worrying mother hen? She traveling, she's happy, our parents are happy... what more could you ask for?"

Liz had to hold back a growl of frustration. "But she could get _hurt_ while she's out there." She looked at him pointedly, trying to get her meaning across.

He seemed unfazed. "You sure you're feeling alright there, Liz? Come on, just think about it. Who's going to hurt her? The opposing basketball team if they don't win? I doubt they're that sore of losers. And besides, we have our own team, they'll protect their cheerleaders."

"Maybe its _our_ team I'm worried about."

"And maybe you've watched one too many high school horror films, I think you're getting a little paranoid there, Champ." Luc glanced at her curiously. "What brought this about now anyway? She's been on the squad for weeks."

Liz sighed. He did not get it and he was not going to, not unless she just came out and said it. He did not know George, much less what he was capable of. Though she could just ignore Will's request and tell Luc anyway, somehow she just could not bring herself to do it. "Oh nothing really... just what you said, I'm paranoid I guess."

He snorted now that she had seemed to settle down, and went back to watching the TV. "If it's really bugging you, Squirt, you could always talk to her about it. But I suggest you get a better argument. Lydia's always been strong willed, she'll do what she wants to do."

Liz slumped a little and said nothing, just walked dejectedly over to the couch and plopped down next to Luc to watch whatever show he was watching. He was right. If she could not convince him, then there was no way she could convince Lydia, not without the truth. And she was not sure if even the truth would stop Lydia. Liz would just have to sit back and hope for the best. Lydia was tenacious and could be smart when she wanted to be. She could take care of herself... Liz hoped she could, anyway.

* * *

A/N: A filler chapter, yes, but also very necessary. I needed some time to pass and Liz had to think some things through. She may not like Will yet, but she's off to a good start! Hope this chapter wasn't too boring. Promise, the fun will start back up again next installment.

hondagirl, IcelandGirl812, supersaiyanx, CurlyHairedDisaster, and That fragile Capricorn, much love to all of you for your lovely reviews, you made my day! CurlyHairedDisaster, yah I tried to avoid the whole rape scenario with George and Giana. Like you said, it's kind of overdone and I've been trying to keep this story PG for the most part. Capricorn, thanks for pointing out the grammatical thing. I prolly won't fix it soon, but I would like you to know that you pointing it out made me catch myself before I did it in this chapter. At least, I caught myself a couple of times... dunno if any slipped through, tho if so, oh well, I tried!

I'll get to work on the next chapter as soon as I can! Unfortunately, I don't think it will be out as quickly as this one was. This one was easy to write, I had a lot more free time than usual and it wasn't as important of a chapter as past ones, so it just kinda popped out. But trust me, the next one will be out as soon as I am able!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Not that I mind, but this whole trip is rather random," Liz muttered from the back seat, watching the redwoods and hilltops fly past her window.

"It's not random, we called you last night! Told you to pack your bags and everything," her aunt Maddy responded cheerily, smiling at Liz in the rearview mirror.

"Wow, a whole day's warning, gee thanks," Liz snorted good-naturedly. "Be thankful I didn't have homework."

Her aunt's smile turned wicked. "I like how it's 'be thankful I didn't have homework' and not 'be thankful I didn't have _plans._' Instead of parties and dating, you're worried about your next big class project. My, what the little nerd you're turning into."

"Just give me thick rimmed glasses and a pocket protector and I'm good to go," Liz laughed. "Seriously though, this camping trip _was_ rather last minute."

And indeed it was, for the last time Liz had heard from her aunt and uncle had been back in December, and now it was already well into February. Liz had been leading a fairly quiet winter quarter, besides her silent worrying over Lydia being a cheerleader. However, Lydia had never mentioned two words regarding Liz's main worry, George Wickham, despite him being a lead player on UCSC's basketball team. Maybe their paths did not cross as often as Liz would have guessed. Whatever the case, at least her fears would soon be over, as the basketball team and its cheerleaders were currently at its last competition for the season. They had been out of town for the last week for these final playoffs, but were due to return tomorrow. Then Liz would be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

It was now the 13th of February, a Friday and the start of a four day weekend for Liz, what with Monday being President's day. Most of her fellow students only had a three day weekend, but Liz had lucked out on her class schedule this quarter and had no classes on Fridays. And with no agenda for the unusually long weekend, Liz had just been settling in the night before to play video games with Mary when she had gotten the phone call Aunt Madeline and Uncle Christopher.

Apparently, they had schemes to steal her away for a weekend of camping, hiking, and s'mores eating. Of course, they wanted to steal Jane as well, but their primary target was Liz, since they had had Jane all Christmas break and had not seen Liz since she had left for college. Jane had to unfortunately turn down the trip, for unlike her twin, she had miles of homework and projects to do. Liz, excited at the idea of seeing her aunt and uncle again, happily accepted.

They were now speeding along Highway 17, deep within the foresty Santa Cruz Mountains. Christopher, otherwise known as Uncle Chris, was in the driver's seat. He had hazel eyes and auburn hair that was always rather rumpled, with a mustache and a thick, bushy beard. He was of a stout build, not as muscular as he was when he was younger, but still in good shape. He always tended to wear an amused look on his face, and had a great smile. Madeline, or Aunt Maddy, was sitting in the front passenger seat. She had raven dark hair that fell to her shoulders and a rather curvy body. Her eyes were a piercing blue that always seemed to have a mischievous gleam to them. Whenever she and Liz were together, Maddy was often mistaken for Liz's mother, for they shared more similarities than Liz's own mother, who Jane had taken after more. Both her aunt and uncle were dressed appropriately for their camping trip.

"Alright, you caught us," Chris sighed overdramatically from the driver's seat. "This is all an elaborate plot to kidnap you and ransom you for unseemly amounts of money."

"Neat," Liz grinned as she traced her finger idly along her window. "How much am I going for?"

Her uncle drummed his fingers thoughtfully along the steering wheel as he considered this for a moment. "Hmmm... I'd say a cool million should be about right."

"What?" Liz did her best to sound indignant, but instead came off more amused than anything else. "That's chump change! I'd say I'm worth at least ten times that."

Her aunt snorted. "We'll be lucky to get 10 dollars, no one wants a little monster like you," she teased. Liz stuck her tongue out, making sure her aunt got a good look at it in the car's side view mirror. "My point exactly."

"You're so mean, Maddy," Liz pretended to pout, but quickly got over her phony hurt feelings. "So how much further to this campsite?"

"Not far actually... should be just another ten minutes," Maddy responded, taking a look at the map in her lap, trailing her index finger along the jagged line representing the road. "In fact, you're going to want to take a left just after the next bend, Chris."

"Hmmmm," Chris raised an eyebrow as they made their way further down the windy road. He then said dryly, "You mean take a left down the sheer cliff?"

Maddy looked up from the map surprised. "What?" She sat up straighter in her seat to see that, indeed, to their left was a steep, although well forested, drop into a valley far below. "Well that's not right..." she muttered, then hunched back over the map. "Don't worry, I can fix this." She was silent for a moment. Then rustling could be heard as she slowly turned the map upside down.

"I knew it, we're lost," Chris stated with a sigh.

"Oh no, no, we're not lost," Maddy responded quickly, not taking her eyes off the map. "Just... momentarily misplaced."

He chuckled, "Remind me to never let you be the navigator again, babe."

"Hey, I got us there most of the way, didn't I?"

"True... and then you got distracted by the llama farm we passed and it was all downhill from there... almost literally."

"I think they were alpacas," Liz chimed in.

Her uncle shrugged," Llama, alpaca, doesn't matter... as long as its fuzzy, you're aunt will get sidetracked."

"Heehee... fuzzy," Maddy snickered into the map. When she caught her husband glancing at her out of the corner of his eye in a 'case closed' sort of way, she cleared her throat. "I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about."

He smirked. "I'm talking about you getting giddy about the llamas, causing us to become lost and almost drive off a steep cliff."

"Oh, don't exaggerate, you big baby. It wasn't that steep. Besides, there were plenty of trees that would have broken our fall."

"Well, you've certainly put my mind at ease," he said blandly, but could not hide a grin when his wife socked him in the shoulder. "Hey, hey! Rule number one, no hitting the driver. And rule number two, Liz gets the map for all future road trips."

"Sure thing," Liz agreed, "but just warning you, I'm pretty susceptible to all things fuzzy as well, so you are probably not much better off."

Shaking his head, Chris said, "Okay then, looks like I'm driving _and_ navigating with the map. Is there anything else I can do while you two lazy bums just sit back and enjoy the air conditioning? Roll your windows down for you? Lean your seats back? Sing you a lullaby as you let the engine's gentle hum lull you to sleep?"

"My, you have Uncle Chris so well trained, Maddy," Liz laughed.

"If he keeps this up, he gets a biscuit later," her aunt replied, patting him on the head, eyes still firmly glued to the map. Finally, she snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "I got it!" She let a few seconds pass and her two companions waited expectantly. "We'll ask for directions!"

Chris snorted. "Is that the best you got?"

"No, I also have: we should have bought that GPS."

"This is no time for 'I told you so.'"

Madeline grinned triumphantly. "Fine then, we'll save it for later. But for now, you'll just have to take my wise and sagely advice of finding someplace to get directions from."

"And may I ask, oh Wise and Sagely One, where we will go to ask for these directions? We're kind of in the middle of nowhere." He demonstrated his words by outstretching a hand to indicate the trees and mountains around them.

"But people still live here, silly!" Maddy responded before pointing excitedly off to their left, "Like there, there! See? There's a mailbox." Somewhere along way since they had been talking, the sudden drop on their side had been replaced with the thick forest once more. In between two rather large trees was a gravelly, dirt road for vehicles and, indeed, a red mailbox that was nearly hidden in the overgrowth. "That means there's a house is nearby. We'll ask them."

"Aye aye, Captain," he mock saluted with one hand while he used the other to turn the car down the side road.

The road however did not immediately take them to a house. It began to slant downward as they got further, as well as more serpentine, twisting more than the main road they had just left. Everyone was silent as they watched it slowly grow narrower and rougher. Suddenly, there was a loud, metallic _THUNK_ that shook the car as it drove over a large, protruding rock in the road.

"What the heck was that?" Chris grumbled, still driving the car onward but at an even slower pace than he was going before.

Maddy, who was unfazed and even seemed to be mildly enjoying herself, responded casually, "Oh nothing, just the bumper breaking off."

"You better be joking," he replied, obviously not falling for it but still unable to resist glancing at the rearview mirror.

"She was," Liz supplied. She paused for a second, then added, "It was actually the engine falling out."

Liz could see her uncle rolling his eyes in the mirror. "Ha ha, you're regular comedians, both of you." The car jolted as it ran over a large, tree root sticking out of the road, but kept going. "You know, this car wasn't built for this."

His wife brushed him off with a flick of her hand. "Oh, don't be such a worry wart, the cars doing fine."

"No, it's not. It's seven years old and wasn't meant for this, even in its prime."

"Fine, if its bothering you so much, just turn it around," Maddy shrugged.

Chris laughed. "Turn it around? There's no room to turn around, this road has gotten so narrow, it barely fits us... let's hope we don't meet up with someone going the other way. And I am _not_ putting it in reverse and backing my way up, this road is scary enough forward."

"Then tough it out, sailor," Maddy rallied as the car gave another _CA-THUNK_ that shot up some dust around them. "Just think of it as one giant, dirt covered roller coaster."

As the car turned through another sharp curve, he grimaced. "I'd prefer not to, thanks. Roller coasters go upside down. I'd hate to see this road do that."

"That'd be a trick," Liz smirked from the back seat and then glanced out her window. "Ooh, look! There's wild bunnies!"

"Where?!" Maddy asked excitedly, as she practically pressed her nose up against the glass of the window.

"Not helping, guys," Chris chided them.

"I'm sorry, what? I wasn't listening, too busy looking for the bunnies," Maddy responded distractedly.

He shook his head, but a small grin was playing across his lips. "How long is this road anyway? We have to been going at it for at least a mile by now," he mumbled, more to himself than anything, for he had little hope of having any attention paid to him at this point.

Maddy surprisingly did respond, though with disappointment coloring her tone. She had missed seeing the bunnies. "Can't be too much longer, road has to stop somewhere."

"Like a bottomless pit of doom," Chris mumbled.

"Wouldn't that be neat?" she laughed. "Oh wait, looks like we may be there. There's a clearing up ahead, maybe its someone's driveway."

As they entered said clearing, Chris said, "About time. I was beginning to think if that went on much longer, the car-" suddenly, everything around them went quiet and still. The engine's thrum went away, the air conditioning turned off, and the whole car just glided slowly to a stop. He finished meekly, "...wouldn't make it."

"Way to jinx it, hubby," Maddy teased as Chris tried turning the key several times. The car remained unresponsive.

He shrugged as he ran a hand through is hair. "Well, I figured this trip was going too well so far. Had to spice it up a bit, kill the car, you know."

Liz pulled out her cell phone and looked at the display screen with a frown. "No reception? Big surprise. I'm gonna step out of the car and see if I can catch a bar or two to call a tow truck or something."

She was already closing the door behind her as her aunt unbuckled her seat belt to reach for her own cell. After a few seconds of studying it, Maddy popped open her door to call after Liz, "Nope, no signal for me either."

"Ditto," Chris muttered, his arm reaching out of the car window, holding his phone up in the air. He glanced over at Liz, who was slowly pacing around the clearing and waving her phone around in a futile attempt to be able to make a call. "Anything?"

"Nada," Liz let her arm fall to her side, disheartened. She then glanced up at their surroundings, and noticed the mountains beyond the trees surrounding them seemed a lot higher than they used to be. "Though, I think I found a good reason for it. On top of being lost in the woods and mountains, seems like that road we just took led us into the middle of a valley."

Her aunt and uncle had left the car and joined her, similarly looking around. "That'd make sense, we were going downhill a lot," Chris pointed out. "Well, looks like our best bet at point is that house we were looking for." He glanced accusingly at Maddy, "... if there is one."

"Don't be mean, you're the idiot who followed my directions," Maddy responded completely without remorse. He laughed and gave her a hug, which she gladly accepted.

It was beginning to look pretty doubtful that there was a house at the end of the long trail they had just taken. It almost seemed like they had wound up in a dead end clearing, surrounded thickly by the tall redwoods. But then Liz spotted it. Pointing a finger, she said, "Over there. There's a brick-paved path buried under the brush. That's gotta take us somewhere, right?"

Her uncle gestured an outstretched palm in the direction of the path. "Lead on, kid." With that, the three of them trekked down the new trail.

Many thick, wild bushes lined the path, growing untamed onto the bricks at their feet. Liz gently pushed several leaves, intruding closely to her face, out of the way as she walked. There were a few colorful flowers sprouting in these bushes that Liz could not identify, but since Spring was still officially just around the corner, most of the flowers were still just buds. The path curved slowly to the left, making it hard to see what was ahead beside more fauna. Finally, they did reach the end as the bricks beneath their feet came to an abrupt stop, being replaced by plush, green grass that coated the floor of a new clearing. But it was not the grass that made Liz stop dead in her tracks, her aunt and uncle nearly bumping into her back.

A two-story home built out of dark, rich wooden panels sat before them. Though the house had an old feel to it, like it had been watching over this valley for centuries, it looked it good repair. Vines covered in more wild and vibrant flowers grew freely up the sides of it, disappearing onto the roof, which was angled in a long, sharp upside-down V shape. From the top-center of this V nearly all the way down to the house's foundation was a two-story stained glass window that Liz could not quite make out the images on, but there were a lively mixture of colors that Liz suspected would be beautiful when the sun hit it just right. The home seemed rather large, but it was hard to tell if it really was, or if it is was just the way the trees and brush hugged around it, making the clearing seem smaller, but still cozy. Plus, there was no telling how far back the house went where Liz could not see. A small, but sturdy garage to the side housed two cars with a third sitting outside in front of them. The garage, too, had an old time feel to it, and its doors were wide open. It could be assumed that there was little fear of auto theft way out here. On a cliff face on the right - also covered in clinging vines - was a thin, trickle of a waterfall coming down it, turning into a brook that slithered its way around towards the back of the home. From the three wooden steps that lead up to the front double doors started a cobblestone path that turned and accompanied the brook, disappearing around the corner. And it all sat in the middle of a miniature meadow that had several paths leading further into the encompassing forest.

"It's gorgeous," Liz heard Maddy breath from behind her.

A slow smile spreading across her face, Liz said, "Okay... I want to live here." She paused briefly before adding, "Dibs."

"No fair," her aunt pouted.

"You can't call dibs on this house, somebody lives here," Chris pointed out. "...hopefully."

"If not, I'll be okay if we never leave," Liz grinned, beginning to head towards the front door. "I call the master bedroom."

"Spoiled brat," Maddy quipped, following her niece closely behind and pulling her husband along as she held his hand.

They walked up the steps and Liz happily pressed the doorbell, which was framed with an intricate bronze design. Faintly from within the house, the bell's chiming could be heard, similar to that of a town's clock tower ringing at noon. They were all silent for a moment as they listened, but soon they were rewarded with the light sound of approaching footsteps. Liz took a step back to allow her aunt and uncle to do the talking as she took a chance to gaze at her serene surroundings a second time.

One of the double doors opened part way, allowing for a woman to poke her head out. She was an older woman, with brown hair that was showing bits of grey, all pulled back into a tight pony tail at the nape of her neck. She had thin spectacles that gave her a bit of a shrewd, calculating look, but her face was friendly, with some smile lines around her eyes. She wore a dress that fell about to her knees and it, along with her shoes, was plain and a bit dusty, suggestion she may have been in the middle of some sort of housework.

She studied the trio on the doorstep for a moment, getting a good look at each of their faces, before a warm and welcoming smile broke out on her face. "My, we don't see many strangers this deep in the valley. What brings you folks all the way down here?"

Chris took the lead, "Hi, ma'am, we were on our way to a vacation campsite when we got lost-"

"Momentarily misplaced," Maddy interrupted with a bright grin.

Chris resisted rolling his eyes as he continued, "Right, misplaced. So, we decided to try to ask someone for directions and turned down a road that took us here. Unfortunately, our car kind of broke down a few yards from here."

"Oh dear," The woman said pityingly, before nodding knowingly. "Our driveway can be tricky for most cars."

"That thing was a driveway?" Maddy asked incredulously. "Geez, you mountain folk are tough!"

"So, anyway," Chris jumped in again, trying to stay on topic, "we were wondering if we could trouble you for the use of your phone, to call a tow truck."

"Of course! Anything I can do to help. Come right in, I'll be happy to direct you to our phone." She pulled open both the doors wide and stepped back, allowing plenty of room for everyone to walk in. After Chris and Maddy entered, the lady asked, "Are you coming in too, young miss?"

Liz, who had only been half paying attention to the exchange, tore her eyes away from the wildlife around her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was admiring the landscape. Um..." she bit her lip in thought, wondering if her next question would be considered rude or not. Deciding to try her luck, she asked, "Would it be alright if I took a look around out here? It really is all quite beautiful."

The lady's smile broadened. "Certainly. Just don't wander too far, there are quite a few wild animals out there. The coyotes in particular have been getting bold lately. And come to think of it, there's actually a little pond that you might enjoy not too far off in that direction," she leaned out of the door to point off to the east. "And don't be surprised if you run into Kody."

As Liz began to meander down the steps, she questioned, "Kody?"

"The family dog. He's around here somewhere, probably chasing rabbits."

"Alright, thank you very much. If you could, please tell my aunt and uncle I'll be back in a few minutes."

"No problem at all, dear. I'll leave the front door open for you. Have fun," she said cheerily before clicking the doors shut. Liz trotted off in the direction the woman had indicated, feeling tiny bubbles of excitement within her.

She walked along the forest trail, eating up every second of it. She was used to seeing forest, what with living within the greenery of UC Santa Cruz's campus, but never to quite this extent. It was all so free and seemed to possess a mind of its own. The large trees mostly hid the sky, but there were patches of gleaming sunlight peeking through here and there. Several different kinds of birds could be heard singing their songs while a couple of butterflies danced around just off the trail. She heard the rustling of leaves all around her; she was not quite sure if it was the breeze that she felt playing with her hair or the scurrying of animals. Either way, it did not bother or frighten her. She was loving all of it.

Her reverie was interrupted when she heard a loud, excited bark. She turned her head quickly, her hair whipping around her back, to see a nearby bush shaking. She knelt down as another, closer bark could be heard. Then, in a nearly indiscernible blur, a dog came bounding out. It delightedly yipped a few more times as it hopped onto its hind legs and leaned its front paws on Liz's knees, eagerly demanding pets that Liz was all too happy to give.

"So, you must be Kody," Liz laughed softly and she scratched it behind the ear. It was a medium sized dog, seemingly made up entirely of fur. Its coat was white on the belly, legs, and under the throat, with a grey back and face, and black spots splattered all over. It had a stub of a tail that caused its whole rear end to wag when he was happy. Liz had a hard time figuring out what breed it was, though its face vaguely reminded her of Lassie... but with much more intelligent, pale green eyes.

As Liz straightened up, Kody barked again and ran a couple of energetic circles around her. She chuckled, "You wanna join me, pup? Sounds good." As she continued her hike, Kody switched between cantering at her side to dashing off to chase something small and furry. Liz suspected he ate a few bugs too, for a few times when he returned to her side, he seemed to be licking his chops triumphantly.

They continued on this way for another minute, Liz amused by her new companion's antics, when Kody suddenly stopped, legs set wide apart, ears perked, and looking at something Liz could not see, though she did try her best. "What is it, Kody?" she asked in a hushed voice, amused as the dog cutely cocked its head to one side. Then his stubby tail erupted with a fresh set of wags and he let out several loud ruffs before going into an all out sprint. Having yet to see him quite this excited, Liz was curious and left the trail to follow him. The dog dived into some thick brush just a few feet ahead of her. "What did you find?" Liz mused, putting her hands in the brush to part it as she stepped through, "What-"

All the color drained from her face as her mouth hung open in mid-sentence. This had to be a joke, a trick, a hallucination, a nightmare, anything but... Will Darcy.

All the thoughts Liz had been refusing to think about for the past several weeks came rushing back into her mind. She had given up on trying to figure out the letter entirely, as the headache had just become too much. Sure, she believed his story about George now, but she had still been mad at him for the whole Jane thing. At least, she was at first. As time had gone by, her anger dulled a bit and she had begun to see his side of it. He had been only trying to protect his friend by doing what he thought was right, despite Liz not agreeing with his methods. But every time she thought she could forgive him, a fierce loyalty to her sister would re-emerge and she would get furious all over again. But then that emotion would soon be replaced with guilt, for how much she must have utterly destroyed him at their last meeting. And then she would cycle back to anger, starting the whole circle over and over again. As her emotions had bounced violently back and forth, she had figured it would be best to put the envelope, letter and necklace and all, to the side. She had kept it for a while at the bottom of her sock drawer, but, unable to completely forget and abandon it, it was currently in her bag with her camping gear. She still had just been planning to ignore it, at least for a little while. It was not like she would ever see him again. Boy, had she been wrong.

Somewhere, wherever someone was pulling the strings of life and fate, that someone must have been rolling on the floor laughing. Why was Will now standing in front of her? Why now? Why here, in the middle of the wide range of mountains and valleys? And why, Liz realized as her face heated slightly, was his long, golden hair wet, his shirt flung over shoulder, and his chest bare? And what a fine looking chest it was too, Liz's subconscious might add, which she barely acknowledged because she was too busy being mortified.

Kody was bouncing frantically around Will, alternating between crouching on all fours and hopping on his hind legs, giving him happy greeting-woofs. Will, hand in mid-stretch to pet the dog, was staring wide-eyed at Liz, probably wondering many of the same questions Liz was... excluding the question about why Will was shirtless. He probably knew that already... seeing as he himself was, in fact, Will.

There was a stunned silence between them, neither of them paying any mind to Kody's cries for attention. Finally, Will was the first to recover as he said in a disbelieving, somewhat choked voice," Elizabeth? What are you...?"

"I..." she began in a harsh voice, as if the wind had physically gotten knocked out of her, which she almost felt like it had. She cleared her throat and tried to start again, her voice not much improved, "that is, Maddy and Chris and I... we were driving, and- and there were llamas, and we got lost, so... uh, we somehow found our way down your driveway, but the car was old, so it kind of, you know, died, er..." she sliced a finger across her neck and made a squelching noise to indicate death, then laughed nervously as she continued, "so, we came to a house... your house, I'm guessing... is it your house? It is a nice house, whether it is or isn't yours, its very... big and... nice, and stop babbling about the house, Liz. So, um... yeah, we asked if we could call a tow truck, and I then I took a walk, and... dog... and then... you, and, um, yeah." She finished her very articulate story.

"I see," he said slowly, his shocked expression not changing. They continued to stare at each over for a bit, then both seemed to realize how rude it was to stare as they simultaneously looked down at their own feet, Liz making uncomfortable circles in the dirt with her foot. After some time passed, Will glanced up again to say, "It is." Liz looked up as well, a question in her eyes. "The house. It's mine."

"Ah. That's... swell. It's a big house and... yeah, you already heard it."

They were quiet again for a moment. Once more, Will was the first to speak. "How is your family?"

Liz immediately thought of Jane, but for once did not feel a rush of rage at the reminder. Instead, it all linked back to that fateful night at Rosings Park and a fresh flood of shame filled her at the way she had treated him. She managed to mumble, "Um, theyre well."

"Good," he paused, obviously trying to figure out what to say next. Enough timed passed for a few drops of water to fall from one of Will's bang, which Liz watched almost hypnotized. "Do you... often enjoy walks in the woods?"

"Yes. Do you often enjoy walking around shirtless and slightly damp in the woods?" The last question flew from her lips before she could stop herself. If Liz's face had regained any of its normal color, it was quickly on its way to losing it again.

He blinked and then looked down at himself as if he were just now realizing it. "Oh. There's a pond... that way," he waved his hand in no particular direction, "I was taking a swim." As he spoke, he put his shirt back on, one of his usual button-ups. However, he only buttoned one of the middle buttons, still showing a good slice of his divine chest.

"Ah," Liz acknowledged. A thick blanket of silence fell once more.

"So..." Will began again, still grasping for a topic. "How is your family?"

"You already asked that," Liz muttered.

"Oh... so I did."

As suddenly as it began, the deer in the headlights moment shattered for Liz. She said quickly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have trespassed. I..." she stuttered wordlessly for a second, then not even managing to finish the sentence, she turned and ran. She did not care if she looked like an idiot, or if her face was now beet red. All that mattered was getting the hell out of there.

She dashed back in the direction of the house, or at least what she hoped as the way to the house. Her head was too full of incomprehensible thoughts to pay attention to where she was going and at one point, she felt the tip of a branch scrape her cheek. It stung and a bit of blood began to trickle from it, but she hardly even noticed. She just kept running.

When she broke into the clearing around the house, she sped right past it and stumbled on the brick path that had initially led her here. She managed to catch herself though, and ran down the pathway leading to the car. Thankfully, though the door was locked, both her uncle's window and her aunt's window had been left rolled down. She reached in, unlocked the door, and hopped into the drivers seat, slamming the door shut behind her. Throwing open the glove department, she frantically searched with soft curses escaping her lips through the mess of maps, first aid, and cosmetics left in there. Finally, she found what she was looking for: the spare car key.

"Gotta get out of here," she muttered to herself. "Gotta go, gotta drive, gotta-" she yelped as a streak of grey came flying through the open window on the passenger side of the car. Kody now sat in the front seat, panting happily over at Liz. She stared blankly at Kody for a split second, before muttering, "Gotta steal Will's dog, apparently. Just gotta leave, _fast_."

She jammed the key into the ignition. It did not matter if she was abandoning her aunt and uncle. She was sure they would be happy in their new found home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She was sure the Darcy resident would happily adopt Maddy and Chris, clothe them, feed them, send them off to college... wait, they were way past that.

She roughly turned the key with as much power as she could muster. Nothing happened. "Damn," she hissed, just now remembering that the car had broken down. Praying for a miracle, she tried turning the key again. And again and again. Still nothing. Frustrated, she slammed her fist against the steering wheel, but the car remained indifferent to her plight. And she had only managed to make her hands sore, as she sucked in her breath though her teeth and looked at the mild swelling of the side of her right hand. Kody offered a polite lick in consolation.

Thudding footsteps could be heard now, and Liz turned her head in time to see Will come running from the brick path and in front of the car. He braced his hands in front of himself, as if waiting for an impact, then seemed to realize the car was not even on. Liz, giving a tiny cry of dismay, tried desperately to turn the key in the ignition again. No surprise, the car remained dead.

Will slowly strolled around to the drivers side of the car and leaned into the window. Liz did her best to ignore him, pouring all her attention and soul into reviving the vehicle. She was forced to quit however, when Kody happily run across her lap to greet Will at the window. As he pet the dog on the head, he asked casually, "Forget the car was dead, did we?"

"Kind of," Liz said meekly, absentmindedly scratching Kody's back and not looking directly at Will.

"Forget that we do not even know how to drive, did we?" Will added in.

It was like pouring salt into an open wound. Liz winced, "Oh, right. I had not thought that far ahead. Just wanted to get the car started and just work from there."

"Ah," he breathed. Out of the corner of her eye, Liz could see a soft grin forming on his lips. "Would you like to come back to the house while you wait for the tow truck?"

"That's fine. I'm comfortable here," Liz stated, and almost sounded convincing.

"You sure? You'd probably find the house a much better place to pass the time. Plus, you probably want to take care of that sooner than later." He indicated the cut on Liz's cheek that she had gotten from her frantic escape attempt.

She dabbed a finger to it and pulled it away, noticing the small traces of blood. "I suppose you're right..." she allowed, still not looking him in the eye, "but I'll only come inside for a minute, you got that? I don't want to cause any more trouble than I have."

"You've been no trouble at all," he assured her softly. Taking a step back, he opened the door for Liz. Kody leapt out first, frolicking merrily at his masters feet. Will offered Liz a hand to help her out of the car, which she took without realizing until she was fully standing. When she did realize it, she quickly took her hand back awkwardly, but Will offered no resistance and did not seem to even notice. Shutting the car door, he began to walk back to the house and Liz, picking up her pace, caught up to him and walked beside him.

"I think we have some Neosporin for that scratch. I'll ask Ms. Reynolds," Will said, thinking out loud.

"Wow, even rich people use Neosporin? I'm surprised you don't have fancy, gold-plated skin regenerating cream or something," she said without thinking, and then clasped a hand over her mouth. This was not like in the past, where that would have been a snarky, passive-aggressive comment she would have made at Will because his very presence would cause her to bristle. It had just been an innocent statement she had said out of amusement. She hoped, given their history, he would not take offence. She turned her head to judge his reaction, looking at him for the first time in the past several minutes.

He was grinning again. "No, we ran out of the miracle healing solution last week. We ordered some more from the rich people catalogue, but for now we'll just have to make do with the Neosporin."

Liz stared at him for a second longer, and then slowly lowered the hand from her mouth letting out a breathy, relieved laugh. Maybe this was not going to be so bad.

"_Will?!_" They had entered the house's clearing once more and the cry, a female voice, had come from the front door. Standing on the steps was a girl about Liz's height with golden hair that matched Will's, only longer and wavier. "I thought you weren't going to be back until tomorrow! Who do you have with you?" The girl came bounding down the steps and jogged towards them, but halted a few yards away. "Oh... my... god... that isn't... that's not Elizabeth, is it?" she said in a hushed tone.

Liz quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry... do I know you?" The girl shrieked and sprinted the rest of the way, flinging herself into a tight hug around Liz. Liz let out a strangled, surprised gasp, struggling to keep the two of them from toppling over. "I guess you know me, at least," she noted.

Will had his eyes closed and was scratching the back of his neck, seeming slightly embarrassed. He sighed, "Elizabeth, meet my sister Giana."

Indeed, maybe this was not going to be so bad. But then again, maybe she had no idea what she was getting into.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know... once more, it's been ages. I have no real excuse this time. Just laziness... and hating my job to the point where when I come home, I just want to relax, cuddle up with my guy, and play video games.

Plus, I always just seem to have a hard time starting chapters. Once I get really started, its no problem. It's just kind of like rolling a heavy rock up hill... hard to start and fight against gravityl, but once you hit the peak and are going down, it just keeps going, faster and faster. That's how it is when I get past the start and really get into writing the chapter, I just keep getting more and more into it. In fact, in the last six months, this chapter only took like three casual sittings to write within the last week. Just that initial get go that's the problem. Bah.

I have a lot of ideas I'm excited about for the Pemberley chapters that I've been thinking about, so hopefully that'll get me to hop into them faster and hopefully you'll be seeing them soon. But if not, just know that they'll be up one day... and thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, all of you, for your continued patience. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Hugs all around!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Georgiana Darcy, who preferred to go by Giana, was short. Not super short, it was not like she was a midget or anything. But Liz did have a few inches on her. Not that there was anything wrong with that and Liz normally would not have noticed, but it stood out to her for some reason and it took her a few minutes to realize why. It was because her brother was so delightfully tall, that it seemed odd that his little sister was not tall as well when she shared so many other traits with her brother. She had golden blond hair like her brother that rippled in thick waves and shined beautifully in the afternoon sunlight. Also like her brother, she had deep forest green eyes that managed to sparkle with both intelligence and excitement. She was gracefully slender - like her brother - and, Liz decided without a doubt, she had the Darcy nose. Liz did not know when she had established that there was a "Darcy nose", but both Giana and Will definitely had it.

Besides the difference in height, the other biggest variance between the Darcy siblings seemed to be their choice of clothing. While Will tended to lean towards the darker color tones, Giana wore the opposite. Currently, she was in a white sundress that stopped just at the knees, the skirt of which was flowing and dancing in the soft breeze. A small, red vest hugged her upper chest, clasped together with a loose ribbon. Her white open-toe sandals were the only things adorning her feet and contrasted greatly with the heavy boots Will seemed to prefer.

Everything about Giana made her seem like a modern day princess out for a casual stroll, possibly for a picnic on the beach.

Except... weren't princesses supposed to be dainty? _And gentle and soft-spoken?_ Liz mused, _At least, that is what they were taught to be at princess school, right? Wait, princess school? Well, wherever they go to learn to be all lady-like..._ Giana seemed anything but. From the minute she had finally freed Liz from her rib-cracking embrace, she had been bouncing around on her toes - bouncing almost as much as Kody - and rapid-firing off one question after another. "What are you doing here? Are you here with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner? How do you know them? How did you end up here, of all places? Why? Where were you going? I heard your car broke down, how did that happen? Was it scary? Did you know your face was bleeding? What happened? Did it-"

"Hush, Giana," Will said, ruffling his little sister's hair, causing a few of her bangs to fall into her eyes. "You don't want to scare her off, do you?" He opened the front door for them and both girls stepped in first, Liz being thankful for the interruption. She had not been able to get a word in edge-wise, barely even managing a nod or a shake of the head to the yes-or-no questions.

"I'm sorry," Giana responded with no remorse, just continued to smile brightly at Liz. "I'm just so happy, I finally get to meet Elizabeth! I've heard so much about you, Will hardly talks about anything else."

Will rapped her lightly on the back of the head. "I do not, don't exaggerate."

Giana scowled at him as she rubbed a hand where his knuckle had just hit. She then smirked. "I suppose that is true. You haven't said a thing about her since you transferred to a different school last Christmas. You know, I still really don't know what happened there. Perhaps now would be a good time to clear up some of the mystery?"

Liz felt her cheeks heat up a bit. Will, however, just brushed Giana off with, "No, and we're going to keep it that way. I'm going to go change my shirt," he masterfully changed the subject. The shirt he was currently wearing still only had one button fastened and was slightly damp from the water dripping from his wet hair. "Take Elizabeth to where the others are, I'll catch up in a second. And Giana, try not to be too nosy."

He turned and ran up some stairs, taking two, sometimes three steps at a time with his lengthy legs. Giana stuck a tongue out in a very lady-like manner at his retreating back. Liz smiled at the exchange while she took a look around the main entrance to the house. This first room took up the full two stories of the house, with a cathedral roof and the second floor not starting until further back down a hall, where the set of stairs were that Will had just taken. It was a spacious and empty room, but this drew focus to the stained-glass window that she had noticed from the outside. Up close, she now saw that it was of a sunset over some green hills, with the sky changing from fiery orange to blues and purples as it went further up. It all melted into a starry night sky with some sort of mystical creatures flying about. And with the massive array of colors that filled the window, Liz had been right: it was gorgeous when the sunlight hit it just right. Colors splashed everywhere in the mostly white room, making it need no other decoration.

She was torn away from her admiration as Giana tugged on her arm, leading her further into the house. "Who needs my loser of a brother anyway," Giana piped in cheerfully, as the two of them walked down a hallway. "We'll have plenty of fun without him, right Elizabeth?"

The brunette could not help smiling at the other girl's cheekiness. "Of course. And feel free to call me Liz, by the way."

Giana's grin broadened. "Alright then, Liz. You look more like a Liz anyway. Strange, Will always called you Elizabeth. I guess he felt it was more respectful or something. But whatever, Elizabeth, Liz, Will spoke of you a lot and I'm really glad that I get the chance to meet you. I feel like I already know you."

"It would seem so," Liz agreed with a chuckle, before Giana could start rambling again. The blond was already beginning to speak more rapidly as she went on, obviously barely containing her excitement. This interjection seemed like the perfect time for Liz to ask a particular question that had been buzzing around her mind from the moment Giana had exclaimed her name in front of the house. "Speaking of which, it almost seemed like you knew me on sight. But we haven't met before, right? Or am I crazy?"

Giana laughed, "Oh no, you're not, don't worry. I just recognized you from your picture."

"My picture?" Liz asked, confused.

"Yeah, the one Will has." As Liz continued to stare at her blankly, Giana's head tilted slightly to the side. "You didn't know he...?"

"You two walk slowly." Both the girls jumped at the deadpan words of Will, as he stepped up behind him. He now wore a fresh, dry button-up shirt and his hair was now pulled back into a pony tail - a few choice bangs loose, as per usual. For all appearances, he could have just stepped out of the shower, and not been swimming around in some pond lost in a forest. My, he changed fast!

"Will!" Giana said, smirking a little deviously. "You stalker!"

"What? It's not my fault you two didn't hear me coming up behind you."

"That's not what I'm talking about," she responded, as her smirk grew even more wicked. "Liz didn't know you had a picture of her."

Will paled slightly at that as his cool demeanor slipped. "You told her about...?" he stuttered a bit then looked quickly at Liz. "Let me explain, it's- I'm not a stalker, damn it Giana!" His sister just continued to grin impishly at him. "It's just, you remember, I'm an Art major. Photography and stuff... and I was taking some photos for a project, and you accidently wound up in one of my shots. Only in the background... you may have just been walking by, I guess."

While he was explaining, Liz could feel another blush creeping into her cheeks. She was not sure if she was blushing more because of the photo or Will's reaction to her finding out about the photo. It was strange for Will to lose his composure. It could not be that he still had feelings for her, could it? No way, she should just be thankful he was being nice to her, especially after... everything. He just did not want her to misunderstand. That had to be it. She finally managed to say, "Oh, I see... just an accident."

"Yeah, an accident," Giana echoed with a spark in her eye. "The same way Will accidentally enlarged the part of the photo that had you in it. You looked pretty in that photo, by the way. I'm sure Will noticed too."

"Giana!" Willed snapped. She laughed evilly as she dashed ahead of them, Will chasing after her, though he did not have to dash. He kept up well enough with his quick-paced, long strides. Liz just followed behind, feeling her blush deepen. _All that stuff is over with, he just does not want me to get the wrong idea. It probably just made a good picture. Will's a photographer, after all, he looks for stuff like that... that has to be it._

Liz entered what seemed to be a rather large kitchen area, given the counters, cooking appliances and utensils. This appeared to be where everyone had gathered, with her aunt and uncle standing not too far off from a phone, presumably the one they had used to call the tow truck. The woman who had answered the front door earlier stood nearby, with Giana hiding behind her and clinging to the older woman's sleeve. Will had come to a stop in front of Ms. Reynolds, who seemed undaunted by the Darcy siblings' entrance. Instead, she was casually commenting, "You're home a day early, William."

Will, having already given up on revenge against his sister, leaned against one of the kitchen counters. "Yeah, my Friday class was not required today, so I managed to start my trip back last night. Charlie and his sisters, who weren't as lucky as me, will show up for their visit tomorrow."

"Your hair is wet," Ms. Reynolds observed coolly, but there was an amused glint in her eye. She most likely had already figured out the reason for this, for she knew her charges well.

"Ah. Yes, I actually arrived a little while ago. But since the drive here had been long and hot, I decided to go for a swim in the pond first. There I was..." he paused for a second, glancing back at Liz and faintly smiling, "...discovered by Elizabeth on her walk."

Giana, who had left her safe haven from behind Ms. Reynolds, eyes grew wide with excitement and she wore a huge grin at all that sentence might imply. Before she could make any teasing comments however, Chris spoke up, having just noticed Liz in the room when Will had mentioned her. "Ah, there she is, my favorite niece." He frowned slightly. "What happened to your face?"

Liz, thankful that her uncle spoke before Giana did, responded, "It's no big deal. A tree just jumped out in front of me, that's all."

"Damn, them trees are sneaky," Maddy stated.

"I know, right?" Liz joined her aunt and uncle, taking a seat on a nearby stool.

"Ms. Reynolds, could you please fetch some Neosporin for Elizabeth's cut?" Will asked quietly. The housekeeper nodded and exited the room.

Liz went on, "So, what's the word? When will we be mobile again?"

Chris sighed. "Well, it seems everyone and their mother decided to take their car out today and break it down beyond repair. There are very few towing companies in the area as it is, and most of them already have all their drivers out already. Since we're not stranded on the roadside and therefore not in an absolute emergency, the best I have gotten so far is a truck to be able to come by tomorrow afternoon. I still have a few places left to call though."

"Tomorrow should be fine," Giana said quickly, and everyone looked at her. "You can all just stay here tonight, we have plenty of room."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to impose," Maddy began, but Giana was quick to speak once more.

"You're our guests, it's no problem at all. Right, Will?" She turned to her brother, looking at him expectantly. By the tone she had taken with her last sentence, it sounded more like a demand than a question.

"Uh... yeah. No, don't worry about it. We insist you stay." He stuttered a bit at first, seemingly thrown off by the suddenness of the idea, but recovered quickly.

The Gardiners glanced between themselves and then at Liz. Liz was a little hesitant herself, but then she shrugged. "It's up to you guys, I'm just the kid here. It's better than staying at a hotel... if we could even find one out here."

Her uncle nodded then said, "Well, okay then, as long as our hosts insist."

Giana happily responded, "Great! It'll be awesome, you'll see. We have movies and video games and board games and a pool table and food! Tons and tons of food! And..."

As the youngest Darcy continue to tally off all they had to offer, Ms. Reynolds returned with a container of Neosporin, a few cotton balls and a box of band aids. Will took them from her, absentmindedly nodding as his sister continued and applying some of the ointment to one of the wads of cotton. He then walked over to Liz, began to lean in and-

_Why are you getting so close to me?_ Will froze, almost as if he could hear Liz's thoughts. Or maybe it was just because of the terrified look on her face and the way she shrunk back from him. He had been about to treat her cut, and she had not realized it until one of his fingers was brushing her cheek and his face was just inches from hers. Needless to say, she had been surprised. But she was not overreacting, right? This was not normal, right? No matter how gracious of a host you were trying to be. Liz quickly glanced around to see that everyone was staring at the two of them.

Will slowly straightened up, clearly embarrassed. "Ah, sorry. Er... habit? Yeah, that's it, I used to help Giana whenever she got a scrape."

"Don't blame that on me, big bro," Giana said slyly. "I'm a big girl now, I've been taking care of my ouchie-booboos on my own for years."

"So," Ms. Reynolds interjected tactfully, as Will sent a silent warning glance at his sister, "Not everyone here has been fully introduced to one another." She paused a split second before adding subtly, "Though it would seem William and the young miss are somewhat familiar with each other. Perhaps some introductions are in order? Allow me to present William and Georgiana Darcy." She indicated each with a gentle hand placed on their shoulders.

"Please, just call me Giana," the blond girl offered with a nod of her head.

"Christopher Gardiner," Liz's uncle stated with a friendly nod and then wrapped an arm around his wife, "and this is-"

"Princess Bubble Yum... my friends call be Bub for short," Maddy smiled.

Chris rolled his eyes with an amused grin, "Or this is my lovely wife, Madeline Gardiner."

She shrugged, "Whichever you prefer."

Swallowing her laughter, Liz followed, "And I'm Elizabeth, or just Liz. When Will went to UCSC, we had a couple classes together, so that's how we know each other. And you would be... Ms. Reynolds?" Liz guessed, trying to remember the name Will had said in passing earlier.

The older woman's eyes are sparkled with recognition when Liz had explained her relationship with Will. "Yes, but please, just call me Gloria. So you are the Elizabeth I've heard so much about."

"How is it that _everyone_ has heard about me?" Liz asked in amusement.

Will managed to look a little sheepish, and then glanced curiously at Ms. Reynolds. "How do you know about her anyway?"

Ms. Reynolds and Giana shared a look, before the older woman said casually, "Girl talk. I have to get my information from somewhere. I hardly ever get to hear from you anymore."

Will sighed, shaking his head before glancing at his sister. "Blabbermouth."

Giana snorted. "Hey, at least I didn't show her the picture."

A small smile of interest spread across Ms. Reynolds' face. "There's a picture? I would like to see that."

"So would I," Liz commented dryly. Will just scratched the back of his neck, seemingly at a loss for words.

Chris saved him, perhaps due to some sort of guy code thing. "So, Darcy, huh? As in, the mega-zillionaire, practically American royalty Darcy?" Maddy smacked him lightly in the shoulder, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "What?" Chris was not the most subtle or tactful person.

Ms. Reynolds just smiled, brushing of Chris's blunt comment and simply replied, "Indeed."

Maddy leaned back to make eye contact with Liz and, clearly impressed with the company her niece kept, quite obviously mouthed the word "Nice." Liz shook her head as she finished cleaning up the graze on her cheek. Her aunt still needed some work in the subtlety department herself.

"And you work for the Darcys?" Chris continued.

"That I do," Ms. Reynolds responded fondly, offering the box of band aids to Liz. Liz chose a bright, neon green band aid and applied it to her cheek with satisfaction. "I have been in the family's employ for more years than I care to count, having been hired by William's and Georgiana's parents. After their regretful passing, I stayed as both a caretaker to the children and the house. I'm a cook, maid, gardener, repair person, book keeper, and all number of things, whatever is needed of me. And you, Mr. Gardiner?"

"Just call me Chris, please," he stated, running a thoughtful hand through his shaggy beard. "And currently I manage a small computer company, but I have quite a few jobs under my belt too, probably enough to give you a run for your money. Let's see... I've been a construction worker, book store owner, technical support, four-star chef... I even published my own book which made a nice little profit, if I do say so myself."

Maddy snorted. "Only 'cause you got the hookups."

Shaking his head, he explained, "Maddy works for a publisher. She's the editor and managed to slip my book in to the right people."

"And you're lucky I did, I nearly threw the book back at you when I saw the title."

"What was wrong with it? I thought _Underoos Ate My Brain_ was a very... gripping title."

She gave him the thumbs down. "Lame."

"I don't know," Giana piped in. "I'll say it has me intrigued. What's it about?"

Chris smiled warmly. "Well, little lady, you'll just have to find out by purchasing it at any major book seller, located in the Entertainment section."

Slapping her husband's arm again, Maddy reprimanded, "Don't plug your book! Sellout, have you no shame?"

"None whatsoever," he replied, enunciating each syllable proudly. He then returned his attention to Giana. "And what about you, young'un? Are you gainfully employed?"

"No, there's no place nearby that wouldn't require a commute or at least an hour hike," Georgiana replied with a hint of gloom, indicating her jobless situation was not due to a lack of trying. Even though Giana was certainly not in a position where she needed money, Liz got the feeling that Giana was the type of girl who did not want everything handed to her on a silver platter, that she enjoyed buying stuff with money she had earned. "Besides, I still am kept busy most of the time with my schoolwork."

"What grade are you in?" Maddy asked conversationally.

"I'm a senior. So I'm almost done," she responded happily. Then felt the need to add, "I'm eighteen. I know I don't look it, but I swear I am."

Liz chuckled and then, as an afterthought, asked, "There are schools out here?"

"Oh, nah. I'm home schooled."

A small frown formed on Liz's face. "Don't you get lonely?" As pretty as this house and its surroundings were, it was still out in the middle of nowhere. Liz had the feeling she would go bonkers out here if she did not get a chance to go out from time to time.

"Not at all," Giana shook her head vigorously, her golden locks flying about with the movement. "I have Ms. Reynolds here, and Will visits every chance he gets. Almost every weekend. Plus the neighbors aren't far off." Liz looked doubtful at that last statement, and Giana laughed. "Really, they're not, they're just hidden. Plus, there's Kody."

"Kody?" Maddy asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"You haven't met him yet? Must have wandered off somewhere," Giana responded. She then turned her head to face the hallway, let out a loud whistle and called, "Kody!"

A few seconds of silence past, and then the energetic scampering of tiny feet could be heard approaching. Kody came bounding into the kitchen, his stubby tail wagging gleefully.

"Puppy!" Maddy exclaimed before kneeling down on the floor. The dog delightedly greeted her with a few licks to the face then rolled over onto his back, generously providing his tummy for some belly scratches which Maddy was only too happy to give.

"He's a Miniature Australian Shepherd," Will explained. "He's only about two years old. He was the runt of the litter, but we singled him out immediately as the one we wanted."

"He was spunky," Giana added, cheerfully crinkling her nose.

Looking up from watching his wife in amusement, Chris said, "That's all well and good, but all Maddy cares about is-"

"Puppy..." Maddy repeated to herself, more softly this time. She seemed to have not heard a word since Kody had entered the room.

"Exactly... 'puppy,'" Chris finished.

Smiling, Liz asked, "Do you have any other pets?"

With a nod, Giana answered, "A few. Some birds, pygmy goats-"

Maddy's head shot up. "Goats?" She asked in a hushed, almost hopeful tone. She has stopped rubbing Kody's stomach and the dog was now giving her a distinctly dog-like look of indignation.

Grin broadening, Giana continued, "Uh huh, and a couple of horses."

"Horsies?" Springing up, Maddy could hardly contain her glee. Kody hopped up with her and due to the sudden lack of attention, trotted out of the room for something more entertaining.

"Yes, dear, we'll get to see the goats and horses," Chris humored her as he hugged an arm around her shoulder.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Giana agreed.

"As long as we're not riding them, I'm down," Liz said. "Horses and I don't really get along."

A slow, fiendish smile spread across Giana's face. Will shook his head, "Shouldn't have said that. Now Giana's going to be determined to get you on a horse."

"Great," Liz responded without enthusiasm, but managed to follow it with a laugh.

Glancing at a cuckoo clock hanging on the wall, Mrs. Reynolds stated, "Perhaps it would be best if you moved this conversation elsewhere. I should start dinner soon and I can't do that with all of you taking up the kitchen. Perhaps you children can take our guests on a tour of the house, hm?"

"Good idea," Giana readily agreed. "Come on, follow me." And taking a hold of Liz's arm once more, Giana lead her further into the house, with her aunt, uncle, and Will not too far behind.

* * *

"I can't believe you killed me!" Giana cried, affronted.

"Believe it," Will replied, with a small sly smile as he knocked over Giana's game piece with a light flick of his finger. "Dead. As a door nail."

"But I'm your sister! Doesn't family count for anything these days?"

Shaking his head, Will said, "Not when it comes to world domination. Sorry, sis. Your move, Elizabeth. The tentacle is looking at you."

"Tentacles don't have eyes, technically they can't 'look'," Liz pointed out.

With a shrug, he answered, "Evil, demonic tentacles bent on devouring your soul can."

Smirking, Liz studied the game board contemplating what she should do as Giana pouted in the seat next to her. This was where they day had wound down. After they were shown all around the house - which was much bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside - they had gone outside to get a better look at the grounds and meet the Darcy's other furry, four-legged companions. While Maddy had become obsessed with the goats, Giana had taken Liz to give the horses some apple slices. Liz had managed to avoid a riding lesson, but the determined gleam in Giana's eye had not escaped her noticed. They had then gone back into the house to have a delicious dinner made by Ms. Reynolds, followed with the board game they were playing now, one of the Darcy siblings' favorites.

Though she had only been here a few hours, Liz found that she was enjoying herself very much. The house and woods around it just got more beautiful the more she saw of each. Ms. Reynolds was one of the sweetest women she had ever met. She was happy to get to know Giana, with whom she seemed to share a similarly biting sense of humor. And she had even found that she liked spending time with Will, which she could not remember the last time this had been the case... if ever. It was almost as if their entire history, all the anger and embarrassment, everything had been wiped clean and they were starting over with a clean slate. Will seemed to let bygones be bygones, and Liz found she had no objection to do the same. As long as no big mistakes were made during the tenuous time, she thought they could at least be friends.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her aunt trying to whisper something to her. She raised her eyebrow as she had no idea what Maddy was trying to say. "What?" She asked with no attempt at concealing their communication.

Rolling her eyes, Maddy said a little more audibly, "Get the hen out of the fox's den."

"Oh," Liz said. Silence. Then, ...what?"

"It's code," Chris provided. He was not playing the game with them, but he was sitting with Maddy for moral support, watching with an entertained glint in his eye. Indicating Will, he continued, "So the enemy can't decipher it."

Nodding eagerly, Maddy repeated, "Get the _hen_ out of the _fox's_ den."

"...I can't decipher it either. Unless it's an innuendo, then that's just plain dirty, aunty."

Sighing in exasperation, Maddy responded, "_No_, I was just saying get the heck out of danger's way! I am almost to the onyx statue and when I put the crystal skull on it, Will's tentacle monsters will be defeated and we'll win."

"Oh." Liz looked at the board again, and then frowned. "But I can't leave Giana's body here! What if he sacrifices it to the tentacle gods? Then we'll definitely lose."

"Light it on fire," Maddy suggested.

"Hey!" Giana snapped with a scowl.

"Sorry, sweet pea, but that's the best I could think of. They won't take an already crispy corpse as a sacrifice. Don't worry, we'll always remember your noble deeds."

Crossing her arms, Giana said, "Gee, thanks."

"Don't worry, nobody's lighting anyone on fire," Liz said casually. Giana beamed in appreciation. "Even if I wanted to, I don't have anything to start a fire with. I'll just pick your body up and take it with me. Use it as a meat shield."

"Oh, that makes me feel loads better," Giana laughed, slapping Liz on the arm.

"You know, this is a really disturbing game," Chris commented.

"Only because we make it that way," Liz smiled proudly.

"Well," Will spoke, standing and stretching from having sat so long, "while you guys scheme - which, might I add, is useless, because your crushing and embarrassing defeat is inevitable - I'm going to refill my drink. Anyone want me to refill theirs as well while I'm at it?" He glanced around at everyone's glasses. "Elizabeth, it looks like you could use a little more." He reached for her glass with his free hand.

Shaking her head, Liz said, "Oh, no, don't bother. I can do it myself." She went to grab her cup as well.

"No bother at all. Besides, you're a guest." The two of them got to the glass at the same time and both tried to pick it up. Since it could not go in two different directions, it instead flung wildly out of control and went toppling onto the ground. Thankfully, it was empty.

"I'm sorry, I'll get that," Liz stated quickly, kneeling down on the floor to pick it up. As she lifted it from the wooden panels, she glanced up to find that Will was crouched down right in front of her, probably also in an attempt to retrieve the glass. He was very close to her, so close she could barely feel his breath stirring one of her bangs. They locked eyes and all Liz could do was stare for a moment as everything seemed to go quiet. Then, the first thing to pop into her head and come out of her mouth was a soft and dazed, "Were your eyes always such a deep green?"

Will tilted his head slightly in bemusement. That was all it took for Liz to finally snap back into reality. She stood up straight quickly, her face burning. What had she been thinking? She had no idea! She really needed to stop saying the first thing that came to mind! ... that, or get a muzzle. Yeah, one of the two would fix this problem. In the meantime, everyone was staring at her, including Will as he too straightened up. Liz stammered out, "Because, ah... I didn't think they were. That is, always that green. Did you get contacts? Er, _green_ contacts? Because you didn't think your eyes were green enough? Because, that's cool you know. That your eyes are that green. Your eyes can never be too green, I always say... or something... like that..." She had been distractedly fiddling with the cup she had picked up as she babbled on, not realizing she was doing so. Then, noticing it for the first time, she quickly jabbed it into Will's chest and said something so quickly that it was hard to understand. However, it sounded something along the lines of, "No refill needed for me, thank you."

Staring at her curiously, Will finally said slowly, "Uh, no contacts. My eyes were just always this green I guess." Liz was staring at her feet, hoping to hide the shame written all over her face. If she had looked up, she would have noticed the corner of Will's lips twitching upward. "Though, thank you for being okay with my eyes being green." He then glanced between the glass she had handed him and Liz before adding, "No one's spiked your drink, have they?"

Liz winced a little, but as she heard everyone else chuckling she managed to join in with a weak laugh. Boy, this being friends thing was going to be tougher than she thought.

* * *

"'Were your eyes always such a deep green?'" Maddy asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

She and Liz were now alone in the safety of Liz's temporary bedroom while they stayed with the Darcys. Liz was getting ready for bed and her aunt had come prancing in in her pajamas - complete with a repeated print of neon pink and purple turtles - supposedly to have a aunt-niece bonding session and girly chit-chat, but more likely to make fun of Liz's earlier blunder.

Liz sighed in annoyance as she paced the room, running a brush through her hair. She did not know what to say. The girl had been thinking about it since the incident happened, and still really had no explanation. She could not have chosen now, of all times, to suddenly become interested in Will. No, that ship had sailed. While Will was being nice to her now, that hardly meant he wanted to make the same mistake, not a second time. Realizing her aunt was expecting a response, she said hastily, "You haven't seen his eyes up close. They're really, _really_ green. Inhumanly green. Frighteningly green. In fact, it would have been weird for me _not_ to comment on it." She did not care how lame the excuse sounded, even to her own ears.

"Right," Maddy said with a smirk, stretching out the word sardonically. Then tapped a finger thoughtfully to her chin. "Maybe it has less to do with how green the eyes are and more to do with how cute the boy is."

Her pacing stopped briefly, and then picked up again. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Raising an eyebrow and smirking a little more widely, Maddy responded, "What I'm talking about is the young 'Master Darcy' being one tasty looking slab of man meat."

Liz quickly turned to face her aunt, laughing in slight surprise. "You did not just say that, Maddy." She glanced at the clock on the nightstand before adding, "Isn't it time you return to your own tasty man slab?"

"Don't wanna," her aunt responded with a pout, flopping onto the bed. "I get to see my man slab all the time, I hardly ever get to see you anymore. It's been ages since we've had a sleep over." She perked up. "Let's do that!"

Shaking her head, Liz smiled. "Sure, whatever."

"Yay!" She rolled over onto her stomach and hugged a pillow to her chest. "So, you totally wanna jump Will, don't you?"

"Ewww, aunty! I don't exactly want to be having this conversation with you."

"Alright, alright, I was only joking anyway." She paused, looking thoughtful now. "But you do like him, right? And I suspect he has a thing for you too. You two knew each other already at UCSC, so it's not like you just think he's pretty. Maybe you two could... with tomorrow being Valentine's Day and all..."

"No," Liz sighed. "Not going to happen. There's too much bad history between us." Somehow, she felt more disappointed saying that then she thought she would be.

Maddy frowned. "I didn't sense that. Maybe it can be overcome more easily than you think."

"Trust me. We're just friends."

Silence fell as Liz finished brushing the last knots out of her hair. Maddy bit her lower lip, glancing down at the bed she sat upon. She visibly brightened again. "Let's build a bed sheet tent!"

Liz grinned at the randomness. "Something else we haven't done in ages. Sounds good."

The two of them got to work, throwing pillows to the floor and pulling up the sheets with flare. It took them a second to figure out what would hold up the tent, but they finally decided the obvious choice was the tables. The guestroom was full of them of all different shapes and sizes.

"Hopefully, the Darcy household will not mind us rearranging a little furniture," Liz muttered as she pushed a particularly skinny, but tall table towards the center of the floor. It had previously held up a flowered plant, which now sat on the floor near the dresser.

"We can always put it back in the morning," Maddy said with a shrug, then smiled. "Besides, I think we're doing the place a favor. It'll look simply marvelous when we're done."

Liz got her foot tangled in one of the sheets and slipped. Thankfully, the floor was covered with a particularly plush carpet, so instead of checking to see if her niece was okay, Maddy instead laughed loudly at her clumsiness. Liz was about to throw a pillow at her in retaliation when there was a soft knock at their door.

Quirking an eyebrow as she wondered who would come knocking at this time of night, Liz got up to answer the door. She only opened it a little at first to peek out, but when she saw who it was, she opened it further with a warm grin. "Oh hey, Giana."

Giana was all dressed for bed, with her hair pulled back in a braid. She smiled in greeting, almost a little shyly. "Hi, Liz. I was just heading back from the bathroom to go to bed when I heard laughing as I walked past your door. Wanted to see what was up."

"Hi, Giana!" Maddy called excitedly, waving her hand while sitting in the middle of a crumpled mess of sheets. "We're making a tent!"

Liz let out a snort as she responded to Giana, "Apparently, we're making a tent. Care to join us?"

The blonde girl flashed a brilliant smile. "Don't mind if I do."

"I must say," Maddy began as Giana and Liz joined her, running one of the blankets through her fingers, "that this is some of the best tent-making material I have ever worked with. Is it silk?" At Giana's nod, she continued, "I like it. Especially the flower pattern. It gives our tent style, makes it classy."

"Cause bed sheet tents can be classy," Liz laughed.

"Most definitely," Giana said, gathering a clump of the sheets. "I would know, having been quite the tent maker in my younger days, so I'm an expert."

"I like her," Maddy informed Liz. "I shall keep her, train her, and name her Mini-Maddy."

After several minutes of tugging sheets, moving tables, more tripping - mostly by Liz - and giggling, the three of them finished their tent. It was small, but if all of them sat down in it and hugged their knees to their chests, they could fit. As Giana went to get a flashlight, Liz and Maddy crawled in. Liz felt like she was five years old again. She was sure her aunt did too, but then again, she doubted that there was hardly ever a time Maddy did _not_ feel like a five year old. Giana turned off the light in the room as she came back in and found her way back to their "super snazzy" - as Maddy had called it - tent with the use of the flashlight.

When she entered, she set up the flashlight on its end in the center of the tent, pointing it upwards to light up their makeshift girls' club. The light pointed at the side of Giana's head several times as she set it up, and Liz caught a glimpse of something. It took her a second to figure out what it was, but then she realized it was a scar. A small, thin pink one, nearly faded, that started at her temple and disappeared up into her hair line. Liz had not noticed it until now, probably because Giana had wore her hair down almost all day. Curious, Liz asked, "How'd you get that scar?"

"Hm?" Giana responded questioningly, and then understanding flashed through her eyes as she traced a finger down her temple. "Oh, that. It's old, a few years ago now. I had to get stitches, but it's not as bad as it looks." She laughed dismissively, then was quiet for a second. "Let's just say a very bad man gave it to me."

Liz instantly thought of Will's letter. She had read it so many times, she almost had it memorized by now. A particular line from it flashed through her mind. _He dragged her into the house and when she tried to struggle, he hit her repeatedly._ He... George Wickham. How could she have ever been so wrong about him? Liz said quietly, "Will never said you had to go to the hospital after what happened."

Giana blinked in surprise, then a soft smile spread across her face. "So Will told you about it, huh? Should have guessed. It's no big deal, it's not like I was in critical condition or anything. I was more indignant than anything else, to have not been able to defend myself. Ms. Reynolds leg was nearly broken when she tried to help me. She still walks with a little bit of a limp."

Liz answered solemnly, "Oh... I hadn't noticed."

"That's alright, she's tough, she tries to hide it. She'd be pleased to find out she was doing such a good job. ...It all could have ended a lot worse. I'm just glad Will showed up when he did."

"Yeah..."

"Okay," Maddy - who had been listening to the conversation and swishing her head back and forth confusedly between Liz and Giana - said loudly. Both girls jumped, almost having forgotten the third person was there. "I have _no_ idea what you guys are talking about. Anyone care to fill in the blanks?"

"Sorry, aunty. I think... maybe I should tell you about it later?" The question was more directed at Giana, who just smiled and nodded her assent. "For now, to use Giana's words, a 'very bad man' was involved."

Harrumphing slightly, she said, "Well, I hope at least this very bad man was eviscerated for hurting my dear Mini-Maddy."

"He was," Giana laughed.

"Good," Maddy nodded in approval. Clapping her hands together, she said, "Now... who's up for some ghost stories?"

"I'm totally down! I just gotta ask Liz something first." Giana turned to look at Liz, a particularly evil smile spreading across her face before she recited mockingly, "'Were your eyes always such a deep green?'"

* * *

_**A/N:**_ So this was a pretty fast update, eh? At least for me! Trying something new: instead of trying to write my story in one long sitting - which seems to cause me to procrastinate due how much work it sounds like - I instead just tried to write a few sentences or a few paragraphs whenever I got the chance - which seems like a lot less work. Resulting in only having to wait a month for this chapter instead of half a year! Whee! Let's see if I can keep this up. I'd really like to get this story done by the end of the year, if not sooner, which shouldn't seem too difficult, but...well, you know me. So, we'll see.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't worry, I still have a lot planned for Pemberley, so hope you are all looking as forward to it as I am.

The game they were playing was based heavily, if not totally, on a board game I like called _Betrayal at House on the Hill_. Basically, you all start out as this group of explorers searching this creepy house. After a certain amount of time has passed, one of the players gets randomly revealed as the traitor in the group, and then its the traitor against everyone else. The traitor usually gets something like super vampire strength, human eating walls, armies of bats and/or tentacles, and so on, while the other "good" players have to find out how to defeat him and save the world. It's a lot of fun!

In other news, have you guys seen the book _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies_? It's a real book! Some guy took the story of P&P and inserted zombies into it and got it published! I swear, I have the book on my coffee table right now, my boyfriend bought it since he knew how into P&P I was. I haven't read it yet, but it looks hilarious. And along those lines, have you guys heard about the new movie coming out, _Pride and Predator_? As in, the predator from the predator movies and _Alien vs Predator_? They are actually making a movie where they are going to put predators into P&P! I wonder if they are really gonna go through with it... but if they do, I have to see it, even if it's horrible!

Finally, not super P&P related, but I thought I'd recommend something else to read in case you guys are interested. If you like manga, I'd suggest checking out _Skip Beat_. It kind of reminds me of modern P&P type story, at least at the beginning, where the girl and guy hate each other but the guy slowly falls in love with her but won't let himself and she has no idea what's going on. It even kinda has a wickham type character as well. Anyhoo, its a lot of fun and if you enjoy funny P&P modern fanfics, I think you might like this too.

Kay, done babbling now! Hope to hear from you guys before my next posting, thanks for all your comments!


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Just want to make a quick note about what little French I use in this chapter. I know it's bad, it's supposed to be.

* * *

Chapter 23

Liz woke with a start the next morning. She was cuddled up with her aunt and Giana on the floor, underneath the blanket that had once been the main portion of their tent. The tables holding it up had fallen over somewhere in the course of the night, between the scary stories, truth or dare games, and pillow fights - almost all of which had been initiated by Maddy. So the sheet, no longer being propped up, served its purpose of keeping its sleepers warm and the girls had drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning.

As Liz looked around groggily - which did her little good, as the blanket obscured her vision - she heard knocking at the door. That was probably what had waked her up. Plopping her head back down lazily, she reached out a hand, searching for Giana's shoulder. She found her leg instead, which was good enough for her, and she began to shake it. "Giana," she whispered loudly.

"Mmm?" came the blonde's sleepy reply, though she did not lift her head.

"Someone's at the door," Liz still whispered, not bothering to wonder why she was keeping her voice down. It was not like Maddy would be woken up, that woman could sleep through a house falling down around her. Once, she had, but that was a story for another time.

Giana stretched her arms, but still did not get up, just listened as the knocking started again. "That's probably just Ms. Reynolds coming to wake you up. She hates when I sleep in, she doesn't think 'kids' these day should be sleeping the whole day away," she yawned.

Liz grunted in response, rubbing her eyes. When the knocking continued, it became apparent Ms. Reynolds was not going to go away or let herself in. Finally, Liz called, "It's alright, you can come in."

The sound of the door opening could be heard, followed by some soft footsteps. They came to a stop near them and it was quiet for a few seconds. "Elizabeth?"

Her eyes snapped opened. That was not Ms. Reynolds' voice. It was too distinctly masculine to be Ms. Reynolds. In fact, it sounded like... "...Will?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah."

Liz jumped up, fighting the sheets to find an opening. After struggling for a few seconds, she finally found it and popped her head out, keeping the rest of the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Behind her, two lumps emerged in the sheet, one being Maddy and the other Giana, both having sat up at the sudden commotion. Will stood before Liz, fully dressed for the day and raising an eyebrow at her. She blew her a stray set of bangs out of her eyes, not even bothering to think what a mess her hair must look. She was not a morning person. "Er, good morning, Will," Liz said. Her stray bangs fell back into her face and she blew them away again.

"Morning," he said slowly, glancing at her oddly. "Was the bed not comfortable?"

"Oh, no no, it was fine. We were just, er... camping."

"We?" he asked slowly.

"I'm here," the Maddy sheet lump said cheerily.

"Me too!" added the Giana lump.

The Maddy lump continued, "We came on this vacation to camp, and by golly, we're gonna do it, even if it's in some random person's home!"

"I see," Will said, a small smile quirking his lips. "And this would be your tent, I'm guessing."

"It's our _fortress_," the Giana lump clarified.

"Girl's only," stated the Maddy lump matter-of-factly.

The Giana lump chirped, "No boys allowed!"

Liz gathered the blanket up to her mouth, hiding a smile. She was torn between being embarrassed and laughing her head off. Since Will seemed to be amused, she was leaning towards the latter. She asked, "Is there anything we can help you with before we get back to roughing it?"

He grinned a little wider before saying, "Just wanted to see how you like your eggs. I'm making breakfast this morning because I gave Ms. Reynolds the day off." At Liz's blank look, he explained, "She had plans. With her, ah... boyfriend."

"Oh," Liz said slowly at first. Then she remembered today was Valentine's Day and a little more energetically she stated, "Oh! How sweet, that she has someone. Er, over easy, thank you. For the eggs, that is."

"Scrambled for mine, please," Maddy said.

"Got it," Will nodded. "I'm just starting breakfast now, so it'll be a while. Um... no campfires please."

"Aw, but we were gonna make s'mores," Liz teased.

Both the sheet lumps gasped and cried gleefully, "S'mores!"

"Shouldn't have said that," Will shook his head, eyeing the lump that was most likely Giana.

Glancing at her aunt, Liz agreed, "Yah, oops. Any chance we can make some s'mores later?"

"I'll see what I can do. Otherwise, if your aunt is anything like Giana, we'll never hear the end of it."

* * *

"Oooo, he's making you breakfast," Maddy cooed playfully at her niece ten minutes later. Everyone had gone their separate ways after Will had left to get dressed and Maddy and Liz had met up at the top of the stairs on their way to joining the others.

Rolling her eyes, Liz responded blandly, "Will's making everyone's breakfast."

"True, but he's making yours chocked full of Valentine's Day love," Maddy continued, pinching Liz's cheek.

"Shut up, he is not. Crazy woman," Liz muttered, swatting her aunt's hand away.

"Good morning, girls," Chris greeted, already waiting for them in the downstairs dining room. It appeared he had been awake long before them. "Hear you gals had fun last night."

"Hubby!" Maddy cried happily, running to hug him. As she did so, she bumped into Liz on the way, lightly knocking Liz through a swinging door nearby.

As Liz caught herself from completely falling, she took a glance around the new room and realized she was in the kitchen everyone had been gathered in the day before. The glance around also revealed Will, stopped in mid-chop at a cutting board, looking up at her. He must have heard her stumble through the door. Suddenly, Liz suspected her aunt had not so accidentally pushed her in here.

"Elizabeth?" he asked. "Do you need something?"

"Ah, no," she answered, sweeping her hair behind her ear, trying to quickly think up an explanation. "I just came to... see if you needed any help... apparently." She muttered the last word, glaring back at the door her aunt had pushed her through.

"Oh. Okay." Will went back to his chopping.

For a few seconds, all that could be heard was the sound of the knife slicing away rapidly. Liz slowly took a few steps closer to him, uncertain of herself. "So... do you? Need help, that is."

Will looked like he would have smacked himself in the forehead if he were not holding a sharp object. "Oh, right. Uh, you could grate some cheese. Please." He nodded his head in the direction of some cheese and a grater he already had laid out.

"Sure thing, I can do that," Liz readily agreed, thankful to have something to do. She walked over next to Will, grabbed the block of cheese and set to work. "So, what's the cheese for?"

"Giana's omelet."

"Oh," was all Liz responded. However, there could be the faintest note of disappointment detected.

Will picked up on it and quickly said, "You can have some too, of course, if you'd like."

"Very much," Liz said, perking up a bit and making sure to use as much of the cheese block as possible now. She then looked around at the food Will had out before asking hopefully, "... on my hash browns?"

"Wasn't planning on making any," he answered and Liz slumped her shoulders a little. She loved hash browns, but she was not going to say anything... it was nice enough already that he was making her and her relatives breakfast. However, once again Will seemed to notice, for she then heard him ask, "Would you like me to make some hash browns?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, and saw he was smiling a little. Encouraged by this, she nodded a little shyly and said, "Yes, please."

"Not a problem," he assured her before turning to go to the fridge.

"So... I didn't know you could cook," she asked when he returned, determined to keep a dialogue going.

"Well, now you do. Ms. Reynolds taught me a few years ago."

Liz grinned. "Why? 'Cause you're a girly man who likes to bake cookies?"

"No... just seemed like a good thing to learn. Plus, I discovered I kind of enjoy it," he answered, tossing some bacon into a frying pan. "If it weren't for me, then Charlie, Carol and Crystal would just be ordering pizza all the time."

"Or just have hired a chef to make their meals every day," Liz mused.

He chuckled softly. "Or that. Would have been kind of silly having a personal chef in our small apartment and half kitchen." Liz raised an eyebrow, but kept silent. If his old apartment near UCSC - that had dwarfed her own apartment - had been small, she would hate to see his idea of a large one. Will continued airily, "And I'd like to add, while I'm not girly - I'd like think I'm not, anyway - I do make the best chocolate chip cookies."

Liz snorted, "Everyone says that, that they make the best chocolate chip cookie."

"That may be, but I'm the only one telling the truth." Catching a glimpse of Liz's disbelieving smirk, he said, "I'll prove it. Next time I'm baking, you'll see."

"You're on." She realized she was about to run out of cheese and would soon be grating her fingers if she continued. "Okay, I've mutilated the cheese thoroughly, now what?"

He glanced up, "Uh... can you grab the pancake mix for me? On top of the fridge."

"On it," she responded. When she returned, she placed it on the counter beside him and watched as he flipped some of the bacon. As they stood in companionable silence for a few seconds, a thought that had been buzzing around in her head on and off since yesterday came back. She bit her lower lip, contemplating her next question. "Giana... she said she's 18, right?"

"That is what she said," he affirmed, half paying attention as he was concentrating on cooking.

Liz paused for another second, then asked, "Then, that would make you 21, right?"

He looked at her this time. "What would make you think that?"

"Because there is a three year difference between you two," she answered hastily. He continued to stare at her blankly. "Ha, and now you are wondering how I know that... well guessed that, anyway. In the letter you wrote me... er, yah, you know the one. You mentioned Giana was fifteen during the... ah, the incident with… that that bad guy. You also said that it was the year of your graduation. That would have made you eighteen, that is, unless you skipped a year of school, or flunked a year, could go either way. Thus, three year difference."

The corners of Will's lips upturned ever so slightly as he returned his attention back to the bacon. "Yeah, I'm 21."

Liz breathed an inaudible sigh of relief now that the awkward moment of bringing the letter up, even in passing, was behind her. She would have preferred not to bring it up at all, but how else could she have explained figuring out his age? _It's not like I'm psychic... oh, I should have said I was psychic!_ she mused. Emboldened, she went on, "And a sophomore. Most sophomores are 19, maybe 20. But you had to go and be all fancy and be 21. What'd you do, flunk out on too many courses and get behind?"

"You're really keen on the idea of me flunking, I don't know if I appreciate that," Will said, but he sounded amused so Liz just smirked in response. "Well, after the... 'incident,'" he supplied, using the term Liz had used, "I decided to take some time off from schooling. Giana and I, we just needed a break from... everything, I guess. And since neither of us had been out of the country before, it was decided that we should visit Europe. It was something we had been meaning to do and I was at that point in between high school and college, so it seemed like as good a time as any."

"What about Giana's classes?" Liz asked curiously.

"Remember, she's home schooled. We just took her very lucky tutor along with us."

Liz nodded. "So, where all did you go in Europe?"

"Oh, you know, the usual that I'm sure every tourist sees." He paused in his cooking preparation to start ticking off on his finger, "France, Great Britain, Spain, Italy... spent roughly a year there."

"Wow," Liz was clearly impressed. "And do you know any of the languages?"

Will shrugged, "Not really. Giana was always more into learning foreign languages than I was. I do know a little French though, I guess."

She grinned, "French, huh? Try this one on for size." She cleared her throat before declaring, "Je ne sais pas ou est ma tete. Il courir avec ma nez. Ma nez est triste, ma nez est triste."

He winced with a half smirk, stating, "Your French is terrible." She simply stared back at him, her grin widening expectantly. He sighed, then frowned as he recited, "'I don't know where my head is. It ran away with my nose. My nose is sad, my nose is sad.' That about sum it up?"

"Bingo," Liz laughed as he shook his head. "And that, my friend, is what I have to show for three years of high school French courses."

"You didn't pass." It was not so much of a question as a statement, as if it were obvious.

"Don't sound so surprised. I did in fact pass, and with flying colors."

His tiny smirk returned. "Then your classes must have sucked."

"No, those were fine too." As he raised an eyebrow at her, she chuckled and leaned against a counter across from him, watching his back as he worked. "What you are underestimating is the power of my memory. It was nearly a year ago that I graduated high school and I haven't had to use French since. Now adays, I'm lucky if I flip to a channel that has French on it and manage to understand the word 'open.'"

"Hm," was all he said at first, focusing on making the pancakes. But he quickly followed it with a, "Maybe it'll come back to you if you ever find yourself in France."

"Maybe..." she conceded, "but I really don't see myself on the other side of the Atlantic anytime soon."

She watched as his shoulders rose in another shrug. "You never know. Maybe you'll be over there sooner than you think," he stated softly.

Liz frowned in contemplation as silence fell, debating whether that statement was intended to be more than just a random musing. There could not possibly be any hidden meaning behind it... Liz shook her head at herself, _What hidden meaning would there possibly even be? What? Silly girl, it's not like you expect him to whisk you off to a foreign country at any second. I've been over this with myself already, there is no chance of anything ever happening again. We're just friends, it's not like I even want anything to happen... do I?_

Liz was pulled from her thoughts as Will turned and began to walk towards her. He stopped just in front of her and began to lean in closer to her.

"Excuse me," she heard him say, before she felt him move away again. It took her a second to realize she had _felt_ him move away, rather than seen him. Then it took her another few seconds to realize why: her eyes were closed. She slowly opened them, blinking them a few times, before focusing on the basket of small basket of eggs Will was carrying. _That_ was why he had gotten close; he had been reaching for the eggs behind her. It was not like he was going to...

_Was going to what?_ Liz wondered, perplexed at herself. Why had she closed her eyes anyway? And, unless she was mistaken, she believed she had leaned forward too when Will had gotten close. What had she been expecting? Her eyes widened in sudden realization, and she felt her cheeks get warm. _Damn, I wasn't trying... I wasn't thinking I was going to be kissed, was I?_ She smacked herself on the forehead. _I was! And what was my reaction? I practically pucker up and all he wants is some eggs! Oh god, I hope I didn't pucker!_ Mentally berating herself and blaming her Aunt's talk of Valentine's day and the stupid earlier thoughts of France and whisking, Liz slapped her forehead a few more times for good measure. It took her a minute to snap back to reality and realize Will, once more with his back to her as he cracked a few eggs, was speaking again. "What?" She asked, probably a little too loudly.

Will glanced at her over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "I was saying, when we came back, Giana was all the better for it. It was almost as if nothing bad had ever happened, like it was before. I was very happy to see her back to her old self, if not even livelier than before."

Nodding, Liz shook out the last bit of crazy when Will was not looking. At least he had not seemed to notice her brief lapse of sanity. She asked, "And you?"

"Me? Well, I finally got around to going to college," he answered simply.

"That brings up another thing I've been wondering. Someone in your position could have probably gone to any school he wanted. Why choose a UC, and in Santa Cruz no less?"

"So I could stay close to Giana," Will stated. "I feel I should be there for her when I can, at least while she's still growing up. We're the only family we got left." Liz smiled gently to herself. She found it sweet how much Will cared for his sister. She heard him cleared his throat and looked up to see him indicating a stack of plates not far from them. "Could you carry those out to the dining room please? I should have breakfast ready soon."

"Oh, I _suppose_ I can do that, even though you know I'm your guest and all," Liz teased, acting as if he was really burdening her with his request.

"Thanks." As she gathered up the plates and started walking towards one of the doors, Will called after her, "Oh and just warning you, I think Giana has plans to get you on one of the horses after breakfast. If you're really opposed to the idea, you might want to find a hiding spot now."

She smiled with confidence as she nudged open the swinging door with her foot. "Good to know. Let me assure you, I'm not gonna be doing any horseback riding today, not if I get any say in it."

* * *

Apparently, Liz did not get any say in it, none whatsoever. Not long after the dining table had been cleared of the morning meal, Liz found herself sitting atop Stardust, a mare with a beautiful gray coat that shined like silver and had random spatterings of white all over. Liz found little time to marvel at how gorgeous the horse was for she was too busy scowling at its raven black mane and clinging to the saddle, doing her best not to fall off. She really should not have been worried, what with Stardust moving slower than a snail's pace while Will slowly lead the horse around in lazy circles in a fenced off pen.

"What's with the face?" Giana called from her sitting position on one of the sturdy fence posts. She had taken it upon herself to supervise.

"I'm still trying to figure out how you tricked me onto the back of this thing," Liz replied, directing her sour gaze at the blond girl.

She just flashed her a smug grin back. "You are powerless to my methods of persuasion. And Stardust isn't a thing, thank you very much. She's my horse, my baby, and the best and sweetest friend a girl could ask for."

"Horse, baby, thing, whatever. I still can't believe you got me sitting here... and pony-ride style no less, it's humiliating!"

"I could let go of the reins, if you wanted. Let her run free, if that would be less humiliating for you," she heard Will say. She could only see the back of his head for he was still leading Stardust around, but she could hear the entertained smirk in his voice.

"Er, no thanks," she replied quickly. "I'll stick with the pony ride."

Liz heard laughing from the sidelines and looked to see Maddy and Chris leaning over the fence, her aunt close to tears with her mirth. Maddy looked up and wheezed, "Aww, Liz you're so cute on your little-widdle pony ride. Tell you what, I got a few dollars in my purse, I can pay the man to take you around a few more times, you can pretend you're a princess on a unicorn."

"Shaddup, you're not funny," Liz harrumphed, kicking her feet in agitation. This caused her ride to hop forward a bit to pick up speed, but Will easily slowed the mare down to a calm and steady pace once more. However, the jump had cause Liz to yelp and grip tighter to the saddle, her knuckles going white. With a hint of a whimper in her voice, she added, "Make her stop doing that."

Giana responded, "Then stop telling her to do that. Whenever you kick your feet like that, or even tighten your leg muscles around her sides, you're telling her to move forward."

"No kicking, got it. Anything else, Sensei?"

Grinning at Liz's slightly sarcastic, but mostly playful tone, Giana said, "As a matter of fact, yes. Relax more. Move with the horse instead of being rigidly stiff as you are. I assume it's because you are nervous, but don't be. A horse can sense it and will use any excuse to act up if it thinks it can get away with it. And don't slouch, sit up straight. Chin up. And heels down."

"How can I sit up straight and relax at the same time? And what does my chin being up have to do with anything? And heels down? What does that even mean?" Liz's shoulders hunched forward, despite Giana's instructions. "Urg, I hate horseback riding."

Will glanced at her from over his shoulder, that smirk she had sensed before now clearly visible. "So you keep saying... over and over and over again."

"Did I mention I hate horseback riding?" Liz asked jokingly.

Will chuckled softly, then, "Any particular reason?"

Wrinkling her nose slightly at a memory, she answered, "Well, I've only been horseback riding one other time. And it didn't go well. A friend of mine back at home loves horses. And she and a couple of friends were going to this riding ranch that rented out horses to the trails in the area, and they invited me along. Even though I had never ridden before, one of the people that worked there said it would be fine and set me up with a horse for beginners, giving me a few instructions and saying I'd have no problem. And there was no problem, at least not getting out of the stables. But then we got to the trail, and the horse just stopped listening to me. It kept wandering off the trail to eat the grass, no matter what I did. My friends kept having to wait for me. They also kept giving me instructions, trying to help, but nothing seemed to work, the darn horse just did whatever it wanted."

"So you couldn't get a horse to stop snacking a bit, that doesn't sound so bad," Giana said, who was listening in from her perch as Liz and Will continued walking Stardust in rings.

"But it gets better," Liz smiled with feigned perkiness. "So, the trail eventually leads to this beach and the others decide they want to pick up to a gallop. That's fine, I thought I'd stay back at my leisurely pace and catch up eventually. At least there was no more grass around. Unfortunately, my horse had different plans. Guess the galloping the others were doing looked like fun because he took off. Which would have been fine... except when the others stopped, he kept going. And going and going, like a reincarnation of the Duracell Bunny. I kept trying to pull on the reins to make him stop, but that only seemed to make him more rambunctious."

Grimacing a little in sympathy, Will asked, "Did you get bucked off?"

"Oh ho, I'll do ya one better," Liz laughed. "My friend that had dragged me into this mess was riding along side me, trying to get my horse to stop. She succeeded, my horse skidded and reared up on its hind legs and I fell off the back. Apparently, my friend's horse thought that was a good idea and it reared up as well, sending her flying. See, my luck with horses is so bad, I get a two for one deal and it's not only me that gets thrown. Anyhoo, the two horses ran off, disappearing over a hill away from the beach back to the stables. I swore I heard mine laughing as it made its escape."

"Or it was just, you know, neighing, as horses tend to do," Giana teased.

"That's what they want you to think," Liz laughed. "When we got back to the stables, indeed I was greeted by my traitorous horse. Somehow, they got me back on the beast, but I refused to go anywhere unless someone else was leading the horse. It was pathetic, but better than falling on my ass again."

"Well, I guess I can understand your... apprehension around horses then," Will acknowledged, though he still had that same smirk which caused Liz to scowl again, this time directing it at him.

"Don't you dare laugh at me or my _life threatening_ ordeal." As the others did indeed laugh, she could not help smiling herself as she joked, "I still wake up at night in a cold sweat from nightmares. The horse's name still sends chills down my spine... Buttercup."

"Ooh, vicious," Will chuckled. Liz kicked his shoulder, being careful not to hit Stardust as well.

A whinny could be heard a few yards off, and Liz looked beyond the fenced off area she was in now to a separate pen that held a second horse. Maddy was currently visiting that one, patting it on the nose and cooing softly at it. The stallion was sniffing her with interest, probably wondering if she was hiding any treats. His coat was a dark brown with rich, red hues, all except for his face, which was a big patch of white. "That one is your horse, right?" Liz questioned.

"Yeah, that's Skelly," he stated, bringing Stardust to a stop so he could face Liz while he talked to her. "We got both him and Stardust when they were just foals almost ten years ago." He glanced over at his steed fondly.

"And you do a lot of riding?" Liz asked curiously. "It doesn't seem like there would be a lot of room for horses out here."

"Oh, there's a lot more then you'd realize. Plenty of trails that go up into the surrounding hills that we'll often ride through during our mornings. We haven't even explored them all yet. And we do a fair amout of riding, I suppose. Not as much as we used to though, sadly."

Liz nodded as she listened, then looked at Will's horse thoughtfully. "Skelly, huh? That's an interesting name."

Will winced, as if embarrassed. He explained slowly, almost reluctantly, "It's a nickname... short for Skeletor."

Liz snorted, covering her mouth to hide it. Giana jumped in with, "I know, epic, isn't it?"

He continued defensively, "I was young when I got him. His white face looked so different from the rest of his body, it reminded me of a skull."

"Nothing wrong with that," Liz said quickly, still holding back a fit of giggles threatening to burst. "It's a sweet name, actually. It's just... I can't imagine you being a fan of He-Man, even as a kid. Did you... like, have action figures and stuff?"

He snapped, "Of course not." However, his cheeks were tingeing a slight red while Giana nodded silently behind his back.

Liz finally broke out into laughter. Unfortunately, this action disturbed Stardust for the mare made another small hop forward. Liz gasped and hunched forward, hugging the horse's neck, even though Will had easily calmed her down again. "Okay, I'm ready to get down now," she moaned.

Giana let out an over exaggerated sigh, but said, "Fine, I suppose we can be done for now. But next time you're here, you're getting right back in the saddle!"

"Remind me never to come back here," Liz teasingly muttered. She then gleefully threw her leg over the back of the horse so she was now sitting sidesaddle, ready to slide off. However, she made the move a little too energetically for she instead found herself falling with her arms flailing. She threw her hands in front of her to keep from face planting in the dirt.

However, her hands hit Will's shoulders instead as he moved quickly to catch her. He now had his arms - _Mighty fine strong arms, might I add_, Liz noted absently - wrapped around her waist, her feet dangling at least a foot off the ground. Her own arms were a tad sore from the impact, but she still held them straight and firm against his upper chest, using what little leverage they provided to keep some semblance of distance between them. She was unaware of the furious blush spreading across her face, for she was too busily distracted staring down at him and into his eyes... those damn green eyes again!

"Er... gotta watch that first step, huh?" She asked, a meek and nervous laugh escaping her.

Before Will could respond, a loud shriek of, "What the hell-?" ripped through the air. Everyone turned their heads to the source to find none other than Caroline Bingley, nostrils flaring in anger as she glared in Will's and Liz's direction, some luggage dumped at her feet. Her brother Charlie stood not far behind her, carrying the obviously more heavy-looking luggage and a look of curiosity on his face. Liz stared back at them blankly, wondering why they were here, as if appearing by magic. She then vaguely recalled Will mentioning that they would be coming by this weekend for a visit.

Carol visibly fumed for a few seconds, and then seemed to realize she was the center of attention at the moment. Her demeanor made an abrupt change as she cleared her throat, smoothed her hair that was in no need of smoothing, and then flashed a bright, but clearly fake smile. "I mean... why, Lizzy! What a pleasant surprise! It's been simply too long since we've seen each other."

Liz snorted, muttering under her breath, "Yeah, right." It was then that she became more aware of her immediate surroundings. That is to say, when Carol made her initial shriek, it seemed that Liz had been startled. So much so that she had lost her grip on Will's shoulders and had slipped into hugging him around the neck. Her head now rested cozily against his neck and his arms still held her securely up off the ground, though now only by a few inches. "Um... down please?" She requested in a tiny voice.

Just seeming to realize now that he was still holding her tightly to him, he quickly released her, Liz landing on her feet with a soft thud. Will murmured, "Sorry."

Carol, seemingly encouraged by their detachment from each other, turned to Liz's aunt and uncle and gestured towards her bags. "Could you please take these to my room? Thanks!" she chirped, mistaking them for the help. She then turned to Liz and called, "Hurry up and get out of that dirty old pen, I just _can't_ wait to catch up!"

Hiding a grimace, Liz decided that if it were up to her, she could most definitely wait on the whole catching up thing.

* * *

Thinking about it, Liz had come to realize that she had not seen any of the old Will since she had come to stay at his home. Well, not any of what she had _perceived_ as the old Will - there were no airs of indifference, strange silences, brooding scowls, arrogance, none of what she had previously thought had made up Will Darcy. It was all gone - at least it had been until now.

Now, Will was many of those things, as well as agitated and annoyed. And Liz suspected that that largely had to do with the presence of Carol. It was a fair assumption, for Will could be seen pacing about the house from room to room with Carol not too far behind, talking his ear off. It would seem that Carol had not been so eager to "catch up" with Liz as she had let on, for as soon as they got back inside, the dark haired girl had begun her pursuit of Will. Liz was able to watch the display with amusement barely held in check, for the pair walked in and out of the room she now occupied several times. If she had to guess, she would say that Will was trying to lose Carol and was failing miserably.

Besides finding it entertaining, it also brought another interesting question to Liz's mind. Had a large part of her initial misunderstanding of Will been due to Carol? Did Carol's proximity cause Will to show a very different personality than his true one? She could relate if that was the case... Liz was a temperamental girl to begin with, but Carol had the uncanny power to bring out the worse in her.

Liz pondered this as she waited for her uncle to get off the phone. The tow truck company had called - using the Darcys' phone number that Chris had left with them, for his cell still had no service. Apparently, whatever the man on the other end of the phone was telling Chris was not good news for he did not sound too happy about it, which would be putting it lightly. Certain cuss words were involved. Maddy waited nearby, chatting with Giana. As for Charlie, he stood not too far off from Liz, sending anxious glances her way.

Liz turned her head to flash a smile at him as she leaned against a counter top, resting her chin in her hand. "What's up, Charlie? How the heck are ya?"

He returned the smile, obviously relieved that she had started the conversation for he had been attempting to for some time now but had seemed to be at a loss for words. As he joined her, he responded, "I'm well, just here for the weekend visiting friends... er, as you may have known already. Wasn't expecting to see you here." _Or ever again,_ Liz's thoughts silently provided. The look of curiosity when he had first showed up returned to his face. "What _are_ you doing here anyway?"

"Long story," Liz responded blandly, waving her hand dismissively. "Let's just say my uncle's car just happened to explode right in front of Will's place and here we are."

"Really? All the way out here?"

"Vacation," she answered, as way of explanation. "Or it was supposed to be."

Charlie nodded. "That was certainly a coincidence."

"Ain't it just? I seem to be experiencing a lot of those lately," she mumbled the last part.

He went silent for a few seconds as that topic died down, clasping his hands behind his back and staring at his feet. It appeared he was working his way up to what he wanted to say. Finally he managed, "How is... everyone?" The word 'everyone' took a second for him to get out.

Liz grinned wickedly to herself. She knew in Charlie-speak, by 'everyone,' he meant 'Jane.' However, she feigned ignorance. "Everyone?"

"Er, you know, everyone." He added quickly, "Your friends, roommates... family..."

Her grin widened a bit. "Well, Charlotte is fantastic, she got an A on her last writing assignment. She and Collin are doing well with their engagement, as well. Missy and Luc are good too, I think they make the cutest couple, always have. Let's see... Mary's still doing awesome with her guitar performances and Lydia's joined the cheerleading squad. Kitty's... well, she's Kitty still, I guess, she's fine. My parents are well too, I think they're just finally getting over their empty nest syndrome. And my aunt and uncle, I guess you can see how they're doing for yourself, because they're right over there." She jerked her thumb in Maddy's and Chris' direction as she finished up with a bright smile. Half the people she had listed were people Charlie barely even knew, while the other half he had never met before.

Again, Charlie reciprocated the smile, but it was much weaker than before. "Oh... that's, ah, nice. Good to hear."

Liz sighed. She had forgotten how hard it was to poke fun at Charlie's expense. She added, "Jane's fine too." Well, it was partly true. "She... keeps herself busy a lot lately." That was definitely true.

"Oh," he said again, visibly relaxed at her first words, followed by befuddlement at the rest, probably wondering if Liz was trying to hint at anything. Liz gave nothing away with her expression; he was going to have to figure it out on his own. Finally, he said, "Well, if you see her... ah, of course you're going to see her, you're her sister! And... you already knew that you were her sister. Ah, well, that is, _when_ you see her, tell her I said... I said, 'Hi.'"

Liz beamed at him. He certainly seemed to have needed to pull up a lot of courage for such a simple request. Perhaps, there was hope for him and her sister yet. "Of course, I will." As Charlie cheered up himself, Liz said, "Speaking of sisters... where's Crystal? I thought she was supposed to be coming this time around?" Not that she really missed the third Bingley sibling. She just wanted them all accounted for... she would hate to have any more of them unexpectedly spring up in surprise.

"Oh, she decided to sit this one out. She hates nature. Besides, she said Hershey was 'acting up' and needed some... 'retraining.' Her words, whatever they mean." He frowned, possibly imagining their meaning.

Liz shuddered herself when her mind filled in the blanks. Let's just say it did not paint a pretty picture. "Poor Matthew," she muttered, feeling pity for her messy haired friend that she had not seen in months. She wondered if there was still hope of helping him escape Crystal's clutches. If there was, it would involve a pretty elaborate and most likely complicated plan. Plotting would be involved... and possibly even some scheming. In the meantime, Liz asked Charlie, "Does it bother you? The way your sister treats him?"

He looked a little uncomfortable as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess you could say that I... don't necessarily approve," he allowed.

"Then why do you let it happen?" Liz asked.

"It's not my place," he answered, shrugging. "My sister can date whoever, however she wants. If that is how Hershey - er, _Matthew_, wants to be treated, then to each their own. If they're in love, who am I to step in?"

Liz nodded slowly, seeing his side of the argument - though not necessarily agreeing that the couple was "in love," but that was another matter. She also saw another difference between Charlie and Will, of which there were obviously already many. Charlie did not feel it was his business to get involved in other relationships, whether they seemed unhealthy or not. Will, on the other hand, felt he had every right to make it his business if a friend was involved - Jane and Charlie were more than enough proof of that. While she had long ago seen Will's side of it, she was not sure whether she fully supported either view point. Both had their merits and both, quite obviously, had their down sides as well.

"Oh, _there_ you are, Will!" came a cry from behind Liz. She jumped, almost being scared right out of her skin by Carol for the second time today.

She turned to see Will standing not too far behind her, a look of dismay on his face as Carol had her arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. From Carol's cry, it sounded like Will had managed to escape her for a little while only to discover him a few seconds ago. Liz wondered how long Will had been standing there, listening in on their conversation.

Before anything else could be said among them, Chris could be heard saying in a sarcastic, slightly tired voice, "Well, thank you for your complete _lack_ of help. Yeah, same to you, buddy." He hung up the phone rather roughly.

"What happened?" Maddy asked in concern, turning away from Giana and whatever they had been discussing.

"That was the guy that was driving our tow truck. Well, what was supposed to be 'our' tow truck. It seems he got to the top of the driveway-"

"The Bermuda Triangle of driveways, cars go in but never come out, uh huh, go on," Maddy nodded, trying to lighten the mood and ease her husband's tension.

He smiled slightly in appreciation. "That'd be the one. So he got to the top of it, took one look and turned around. Said there was no way of getting the truck down it."

Maddy scrunched up her forehead in disbelief. "And left us stranded here? What horrible customer service."

Chris gave a nod, "Indeed. He even tried to charge me for the gas spent to get his truck out here, even though he didn't, you know, actually _do_ anything. Told him where he could take his truck and shove it."

"That's my classy hubby," Maddy grinned proudly. "Did he at least offer any suggestions for what we could do?"

"Oh, yeah. He asked why don't I just pull a mechanic out of my pocket and have him magically fix my car. I guess his attitude was understandable, after I showed him a less than delightful and sugary side of myself," he sighed. "So looks like we're back down to square one."

"Does that mean we get to keep you?" Giana asked excitedly. "I'll feed you and take care of you and name you Fluffy. All three of you, named Fluffy, collectively."

"Hush, Mini-Maddy," Maddy teased, "I already claimed you as my pet last night." Liz's aunt laughed when Giana pretended to pout.

"I guess I'll get the phone book and start calling the tow companies again. Maybe they'll have a few freed up today and we won't have to wait this time," Chris decided.

Carol, completely unconcerned with the conversation and ignoring it as it had nothing to do with her, loudly asked Will, "Did you think about it? Shall we have dinner tonight?"

Will, clearly not really listening to Carol, just distractedly responded, "What? Uh, yeah... sure, whatever." Disentangling himself from Carol - who immediately let out a tiny squeal of delight and ran off - he questioned, "So you're going to see if you can get another tow truck to come?"

"Unless you have any better ideas. Maybe you have a magic pocket mechanic?" Chris stated, half jokingly, half hopefully.

"I'll fix it," Will simply answered, before walking out of the room.

Liz stared blankly after him. "He'll what?" she asked, believing she had misheard him.

"I think Will said he'd fix it," Chris said slowly, almost as if testing the sound of the sentence that seemed bizarre to him.

"Strange. I thought that's what I heard too, but that can't be right," Maddy added.

"It is," Charlie supplied, amused at the amazed looks they gave him. "He knows how to fix cars."

Giana laughed as Liz looked to her for confirmation. "It's true. It's sort of a hobby of his. How macho of him, right?"

She smiled in response, but Liz still could not quite believe it. She would have to see this for herself.

As she made her way down the hall and towards the front door, she nearly ran into Carol skipping down the stairs. The goth's arms were full of candles of all different shapes and sizes, which she quickly hugged to her chest to keep any from tumbling to the ground. "Oh. It's you," Carol growled, scowling at her.

"And a fine howdy-do to you too," Liz responded with a half smirk. "Are we going to do all that catching up now? I missed our friendly chats, you and I." Carol just rolled her eyes and pushed pass Liz. Chuckling softly, she continued her way outside.

She went to the space in front of the garage, as the men had pushed her uncle's car here the day before. There, she found Will bent over under the hood of the car, already hard at work.

Liz leaned against the front of the car, careful to rest her elbow on a part of the car that was not the engine, and gave Will an incredulous look. "You fix cars?"

"Yeah," he answered, keeping his eyes on the inside of the car as he poked around.

Liz stared at his profile in silence for a few seconds. Then, "_You_... fix _cars_?"

This time he looked up, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Did I stutter? _Yes_, I fix cars. I do it in my free time every now and I again. I find it fun... interesting."

As he went back to his inspection, Liz said, "So Giana mentioned. I'm sorry, I just can't wrap my head around that. Don't rich people have other people to do stuff like this for them? You're supposed to be doing stuff like... like yachting, or golfing, or snobby night clubs, or... or horseback riding!" She said the last one triumphantly, for while the other ones she had listed described a stereotypical image of a wealthy person, none of them really described Will. But horseback riding did! Because he had horses! ... one was named after Skeletor, but that was beside the point. "You know, you're supposed to be doing all that fanciful stuff. Not be a mechanic."

He chuckled warmly, and for a second Liz was glad he was looking at the engine and not her, for a tiny blush had crept across her cheeks as she realized how much she was beginning to like his laugh. He answered, "Well, I guess you don't know everything about me then, do you?"

"No, I suppose not," she answered, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "Next thing you'll be telling me is you can fly," she mused, quirking up a corner of her mouth. When he glanced up at her again with a secretive gleam in his eye, she jumped away from the car and snapped, "Oh geeze, you can, can't you? You defy the friggin' laws of physics!"

Will laughed again, but shook his head. "No, I don't fly yet. But I'm working on it."

"Well, if anybody could do it, I don't doubt that you would be the first," Liz said, relaxing back against the front of the vehicle once more. She then grinned again. "So, there's a lot I don't know about you. But I think I know something about you that you don't even know yet."

"Oh really?"

Nodding, she confirmed, "Mhmm."

Reaching in to check another car part, he asked, "And that would be?"

"That you are having a romantic dinner for two tonight with Carol."

"Wha-" There was a loud bang as Will attempted to straighten his back and instead hit the back of his ahead against the car hood. Rubbing the back of his now sore head and one eye closed as he winced, he said, "And what would give you an idea like that?"

"I thought you weren't paying attention earlier," Liz laughed, clasping a hand to her mouth. At his look that clearly said he was waiting for her to continue, she went on, "When my uncle had just gotten off the phone? And Carol was clinging to you as if her life depended on it? She asked if you wanted to have dinner tonight. And you said yes."

Rolling his eyes, he just waved her words off and leaned back over the engine. "Oh, that. That was nothing, don't scare me like that. We're all having dinner tonight, what's the big deal?"

"Wake up, Will," she answered, entertained by how oblivious he was. "She was asking you, not all of us. And she was a little too excited by your answer. And it's _Valentine's_ Day."

He seemed to actually contemplate her words now, beginning to look worried. "You really think she's planning that?"

Tilting her head to one side and pitying him slightly, she stated, "Will. I saw her run by with candles a little while ago. Some were those tall ones you see in all the romantic comedies. Some were scented."

Groaning unhappily, Will said, "Damn it. I'm screwed."

"Hopefully not," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

Leaving the hood of Chris' car open, Will dusted his hands. "Well, that's something to worry about later. Anyway, I figured out the problem with the car. Simple enough, the battery is just dead. I can jumpstart it with my car."

"Then does that mean you're leaving?" came an unhappy cry from the front steps of the house. Liz and Will looked over to see Giana pouting.

"Well, we still have that whole camping trip thing to get to," came Maddy's voice, as she and her husband stepped up behind the younger Darcy.

"But you could just stay here the rest of your weekend!" Giana argued eagerly.

Chris shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but we really shouldn't impose anymore than we already have. If we can get the car running again, then we really should be getting out of your hair."

"Stay," came a simple statement. Liz turned, surprised to see that it was Will who had said it. "The camping trip has already been ruined kind of and you've already spent half your weekend here. It's getting late today anyway, you would have to head to the campsitel tomorrow morning. Why go up there only to stay a day and turn right back around? You should stay here, it's great for relaxing and we'd love to have you."

Clearly shocked by his hospitable offer, Maddy and Chris were at first at a loss for words. Maddy glanced between her husband and Liz, neither of whom offered any objections. Finally, she said slowly, "If you insist..."

"We most _certainly_ insist!" Giana cried, grabbing Maddy's hand excitedly and hopping up and down a little. "Let's camp in Liz's room again tonight!"

"You have until Monday off, right?" Will asked, and Liz nodded her response. "Then please, stay until then. You can drive back Monday afternoon."

"Or Monday night," Giana readily supplied. "Or, even better, Tuesday morning!"

"One step at a time," Chris laughed at the teenager's enthusiasm.

This only encouraged her however, and she asked happily, "So you're staying?"

"You're _staying_?" came a disgusted sneer from above. Everyone looked up to see Carol leaning over the railing of a balcony on the second floor, glowering down at Liz and the Gardiners. Liz had to admit, that girl had an amazing knack for catching people unawares. Carol's hair was a mess of tangles and curlers and she was barely half dressed, apparently in the middle of making herself perfect for the dinner she had planned.

"Looks like we are," Liz called back cheerfully, sending Carol a perky little wave. The girl on the balcony just scoffed and disappeared into her room once more.

"On that note, I'll go get the jumper cables," Will said simply, walking off towards the open garage.

Liz watched him go, still amazed at how little she knew about him. Caring brother, world traveler, able to fix cars… she wondered how much more she was going to find out about him this weekend.

* * *

"Hurry up, Liz, Charlie's just too easy to beat now," Giana complained, slamming the last card from her hand down.

"Hey!" Charlie complained, tossing the rest of his cards from his hand in exasperation.

Giana shrugged, "It's true. You suck at Speed, this is getting boring."

Charlie sniffed, "Maybe so, but you don't have to be mean about it." When Giana just cheekily stuck her tongue out at him, he grinned and threw one of the cards at her face.

"Just be patient a little longer, children," Liz teased. "Mommy's almost done with the computer." As Charlie and Giana pretended to whoop in child-like glee, Liz returned her attention to the computer screen.

They were all now sitting in the room that was Liz's for the remainder of the weekend, Giana and Charlie on the floor playing cards while Liz was sitting on the bed, typing away on the laptop she had borrowed from Giana. Will and Carol were in another part of the house at the "romantic" dinner, while Maddy and Chris were currently enjoying their own Valentine's Day activities.

Earlier that day, Liz had discovered her cell phone had completely died. It was considered rather odd when it was found that her aunt's and uncle's phones would not turn on anymore either. But then Will seemed to know a random, but interesting tidbit: that some cells' waste more power when they are unable to find reception. Since all of their cell's had no signal out here - and since no one had bothered to bring a charger since they were supposed to be camping and trees did not exactly have electrical outlets - they had all drained their batteries.

This had eventually led Liz to another thought, that of her sister. She had taken her cell with her in case Jane needed to contact her for an emergency, or the other way around. But with her phone being dead much faster than anticipated, that left no way for Jane to get a hold of her and similarly, Liz could not get a hold of Jane for she did not remember her phone number. That was what the cell phone's contact list had been for!

She did however remember her sister's email address. So, after asking for the use of Giana's laptop, she was currently typing away at a quick email, updating Jane on her whereabouts and adding in the Darcys' phone number for Jane to reach her if needed.

After a few more minutes - and a few more rounds where Giana kicked Charlie's ass at various card games - Liz clicked the "Send" button. Snapping the laptop closed, she said cheerfully, "Done."

"Finally!" Giana exclaimed. She scooted over and patted the spot on the carpet next to her. "Come. Join us, and let's own Charlie's ass at B.S."

Liz laughed, hopping off the mattress and sitting down cross-legged in the space offered. As she watched her friend shuffle the deck, she commented, "I didn't know rich people played cards... I'd think you all would have something better to do."

Giana smirked and slightly narrowed her eyes at Liz. "You say that a lot." At Liz's questioning look, she provided, "'Rich people'... I heard you mention something like that earlier to Will. You say it like we're some sort of alien species."

Liz frowned and looked down, embarrassed. "I do? I did, didn't I?"

"Yup."

"I didn't mean it, I just wasn't thinking. I don't spend that much time with rich folks..." Sighing in agitation, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I did it again."

As Giana began to laugh, clearly unoffended, Charlie poked Giana in the shoulder. "Be nice, commoners aren't used to rich people humor," he admonished, though he glanced at Liz with a joking glint in his eye.

Liz had to chuckle a bit herself as Giana added, "Don't worry about it, Liz. Just want you to remember, we do normal stuff too just like everyone else. It's not all jet setting, cocktail parties, tennis, buying expensive dresses... we only do that on Saturdays." She grinned as Liz was visibly put at ease, and then cut the deck in half. "Now let's get this party started."

She had barely dealt more than a few cards however when the door burst open suddenly. Everyone looked up as Will quickly, but also oh so carefully closed the door behind him, pressing his back against it and looking around desperately. Everyone watched him with interest as he then spotted the door to the walk-in closet, strode over, opened it and tried to enter. However, he failed, for there were far too many clothes already occupying the space, creating a thick barrier of unyielding fabric.

"What are you doing?" Giana asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Trying to hide, what's it look like?" he grunted as he hunched over and tried to shoulder his way in between the clothing to no avail, for he slowly slid out. He hissed, "Damn it. I should have known you had too much clothing when it started taking up the closets of multiple guest rooms."

"Hey!" Giana protested. "My clothes only takes up _two_ guest room closets... and while that may be multiple, at least it's not as bad as you make it sound!"

Will stopped wrestling the clothing long enough to give his sister a look that plainly said 'You're joking, right?' He then stated, "Trust me, it's as bad as it sounds."

A loud, rapid knocking came at the door. "Will, are you in there?" came Carol's muffled voice from the other side.

"Crap," Will muttered, before giving up on the closet and wondering over to Liz's bed. He threw the blanket over himself, curled up on the mattress and said, "If she asks, I'm just a bunch of pillows."

"Really?" Liz's questioned, as if she did not believe what she was seeing. She laughed as she rose to her feet, trying to keep it quiet so as not to alert Carol. She then walked over to Will, located his hand and dragged him off the bed. She then walked him over to the room's entrance, sheet still on his head, and positioned him behind where the door would be when it opened. She whispered, "Stand here, don't move. And give me that." She yanked the blanket off his head, his golden hair becoming a frazzled mess. She threw it to his feet, hoping it would hide any shadow he might project under the doorway. Liz then opened the door, obscuring Will, and put on her biggest, most innocent smile. "Why, hello, Carol," she greeted in a singsong. "What brings you into our neck of the woods?"

Carol, clearly not amused, just gave Liz a bored look. She was dressed in all her black, leathery, queen of the night glory, from lacy blood red ribbons in her done-up black hair down to her shiny, black knee high boots with 6 inch heels. A lot of the items she wore would have looked pretty if there just was not so much of it. "I'm looking for Will. Apparently we're playing hide-and-seek and he forgot to inform me."

"Oh, did he now?" Liz asked as she heard Will shuffle behind the door. She resisted the urge to kick the door in order to make him stop. At least it seemed like Carol had not noticed. "Welp, haven't seen him."

"Are you sure? I thought I saw him walk down this hallway and all the other rooms seemed empty." She raised up on her toes a bit to look into the room. Giana and Charlie waved in response.

Liz smiled, "No one here but us gals."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Excuse me?"

Giana elbowed him in the ribs and said, "Shut up and go tee-hee."

He raised an eyebrow at her and, after a second passed, said in a robotic voice, "Tee. Hee."

"I think you enjoyed that a little too much," Giana teased him.

"Well," Carol interjected, already having lost interest, "if you see him, please be so kind as to return him to me." She then stalked off further down the hall.

With a mockingly cheerful wave to Carol's back, Liz closed the door. Will gave her a small smile and mumbled, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," she responded, eyeing him up and down. He was wearing a black t-shirt with some death metal band's logo on it, black slacks and combat boots. After Carol's getup, it was kind of a letdown. "You make an awful date."

"I didn't know it was a date when she asked," he snapped back in argument. "If I did, I'd never have agreed to it."

Everyone laughed at Will's misfortune before Charlie asked his friend, "So what are you going to do now while my sister is out on the prowl?"

Will shuddered at the image, then answered, "Lay low with you guys, I guess."

As he began to take a seat on the floor with the rest of them, Giana waggled a finger at him. "Nuh uh, private party. Get out there and fend for yourself." Will shot a scowl at his little sister, and she snickered evilly. "Oh okay, I guess you can stay... but just this once."

"You're ever so kind," Will answered with a hint of sarcasm. He then eyed the cards in Giana's hands. "What are we playing?"

Giana glanced between Will and Liz, smiled wickedly once more, then leaned over to Liz and whispered in her ear, "I bet you want to slip in some Strip Poker."

Liz's eyes widened and she fully blushed. Swatting away Giana, she responded in a low voice, "First off, I hope you're not insinuating what I think you are. Secondly, did you forget he's your brother?"

She blanched and scrunched her lips in distaste. She then tapped her chin thoughtfully and continued in a whisper, "I could leave the room if you want, and take Charlie with me."

"Please, don't."

"So have we decided?" Charlie asked, causing the two girls to jump apart.

"How about Spoons?" Liz said quickly before the more mischievous of the two Darcys could make a suggestion. "We have enough people now for a decent game."

"Oh, I _love_ that game! I'll go get the spoons!" Giana cried excitedly, before stumbling to her feet, swinging the door open and running out of the room.

Liz smiled and shook her head. Crisis averted.

* * *

And so Valentine's Day had at last come to an end, and while it was certain that many had found love on this special day, very few had in the home of the Darcy - the Gardiners being the one exception. That is not to say that the day was a total loss, nor would be the night. Due to the success of the night before, the girls were setting up for "camping" again in Liz's room, preparing to stay up well past midnight and fill the hours before dawn with more sleepover fun. Liz and Maddy were already in the room preparing the bed sheet tent while they waited for Giana to return with the snacks.

"I'm just surprised you're here with us teenage girls and leaving your lover all alone, especially on today of all days," Liz pointed out as she pulled one of the blankets taut.

Maddy grinned coyly before responding, "Well, let's just say I left my man... satisfied."

Liz made a face. "Eeeew, Aunty, that's Uncle Chris you're talking about."

"Hey, you asked," she shrugged, and then laughed.

Shaking her head, Liz looked up as a knock came to the door. Figuring it was Giana with the food, she got up to her feet and went to answer it. It was Giana... and Carol as well. "Ah... hi?" Liz greeted, utter confusion apparent in her voice.

Rolling her eyes, Carol said, "Don't stand there with your mouth hanging open, it's not like I have all day." She then brushed past Liz into the room, an inquisitive-looking Maddy watching the new arrival.

As Liz looked to Giana with an explanation, the blonde girl just frowned helplessly. "She overheard me mention the sleepover earlier and invited herself." She shrugged, nearly dropping some of the late night snacks she had brought along.

"Oh... weird," was all Liz managed, before reaching out to help Giana with her burden. Why would Carol want to crash their sleepover? Were they suddenly the "in" crowd and somehow Liz had missed it? Carol even looked out of place, Liz mused, as she saw the goth girl gingerly sit down next to Maddy, the latter now in pirate-hat printed pajamas while the former was in a silky black nightgown that looked more expensive than anything Liz owned - and probably was.

As Giana and Liz rejoined the others on the floor, Liz finally decided it had been the fact that Carol's date with Will had ended in a complete disaster. She never had managed to find Will again that night, her squeals of frustration having been heard all through the house. _Maybe,_ Liz reasoned, _she thought she could remedy the situation by trying to bond with Will's sister. Ha, fat chance._

"So, what exactly do we do at this thing?" Carol asked, crossing her arms and looking like she wanted to be anywhere else but here. "Braid hair and junk?"

And thus the day, having been decent and at many times quite lovely, came to a finish, ending on one final, slightly sour note. And that note was Carol.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Another quick note, this time about last chapter. Just wanted to say I realized that when it got posted, all the lines between sections disappeared. There were supposed to be two lines and three sections. I just went back and edited it so that the lines are there now, so if any changes in scenes sounded to abrupt, that was why and hopefully it looks better now.

Woo, another chapter out! Took a little longer then I intended, I was aiming for a month as my deadline and overshot it about a week. But the chapter itself was longer than I intended, thus the extra writing time! I think this is either the longest chapter or second longest in my story so far! I had a lot of stuff I wanted to cram into it, a lot of er... fluff, hehe. I felt it was due, after all the arguments and misunderstandings that a majority of this story has been about. And there will be more the next chapter! But sadly, the Lydia stuff is coming up soon, too.

I actually finished this last night, but I wouldn't let me post until now. Until next chapter! (again, hopefully only a month)


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Liz! Come on, stop nodding off! If you don't watch the beginning, some of the stuff later won't make sense!"

Snapping her eyes open, Liz raised her head. She blinked a few times at the large, flat screen television where a movie was playing. She was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate, especially when the idea of resting her head back on the couch and taking a nap sounded like a much more pleasant pastime.

It turned out that last night's camping expedition in Liz's room had not been quite as fun as the first night. Carol had been quite the annoyance, what with scoffing at every ghost story and complaining that her hair might be messed up at every attempt to start anything remotely resembling a pillow fight. After rejecting every slumber party-type activity, Carol then kept them up late into the night whining about how bored she was and that they must be doing something wrong. When Carol had finally fallen asleep, it was estimated that her snoring could be heard at least 3 rooms over. Needless to say, Liz had not gotten a good night's sleep - or a good night's anything, for that matter.

She glanced groggily at Giana, the source of the voice yelling at her. The blond girl was resting her head against the cushioned couch in the seat next to Liz, pillowing her head with an arm. Despite the small scowl she directed at Liz, Giana's eyes were drooping to a close. Liz smirked. "Look whose talking, sleepy head."

Giana immediately straightened up, shaking her head slightly and protested, "I wasn't falling asleep, I was just resting my eyes." At Liz's snort, Giana added, "Besides, I've seen this movie, so it doesn't matter if I doze or not. As long as you're watching, that's all that matters."

Liz shook her head and went back to watching the movie. However, out of the corner of her eye she saw friend's head slowly sink forward, eyes closing without much of a struggle. "Giana," she said, to which the girl just let out a soft noise resembling a snore. She patted her lightly on the knee and spoke a little louder, "Giana."

"Peanut butter dolphins!" Giana stated with a start, somewhere between awake and sleep.

Liz chuckled as the other girl yawned. "As much as I hate to disturb your beauty rest, I just don't know how I can fully enjoy this movie without you, one of my newest and dearest friends, alert and enjoying it with me."

"Right," Giana grumbled, unconvinced. She narrowed her eyes as Liz just smiled innocently in response. Giana could not help it as a small, tired laugh escaped her then she arose from the couch. "Fine, if I'm going to have to be conscious for this, I'm gonna need caffeine. Be right back."

As Giana disappeared in the direction of the kitchen, Liz called after her, "Peanut butter dolphins? I wish I had your dreams."

Without looking back, Giana responded, "Eyes on the movie. Don't force me to quiz you when I get back." Lazily rolling her eyes, Liz focused on the TV screen once more.

When the two girls had arose that morning to Carol's shrieks of dismay at how late she had slept in, Liz and Giana had thought it would be a good idea to get up since they were already awake. Maddy had opted for stumbling sleepily back to the guest room where her husband was still sound asleep. After a filling breakfast where they had seen no one but Ms. Reynolds, they decided they were not up for anything that required too much energy. So they had settled in to watch a movie that Giana absolutely loved and she claimed that Liz simply had to see. However, it was proving far more difficult than they had originally imagined.

Case in point, barely a minute had passed since Giana had left the room and Liz was already beginning to nod off again. It was through no fault of the movie's, she was just _that_ tired. Her eyes were closed and she was half way to dreamland when she felt Giana sit down next to her again. Liz rested her heavy head against her friend's shoulder, nestling cozily in and letting out drowsy sigh.

Somewhere within the furthest recesses of her brain that were still awake, Liz picked up a random scent. An intriguing, but oh so slightest hint of cinnamon. There was something familiar about it... it reminded her of something... no, someone. She stretched her mind as she could almost catch the memory, put a face to that scent. But she was just too sleepy, and her currently sluggish brain just did not seem to care enough. Liz began to drift off once more.

But something still kept her dreams at bay. She did not remember Giana being quite so tall. Resting on her friend's shoulder should have made her slouch more and not be such a comfortable fit. It was a silly thing to stay awake over, but it still gnawed at the back of her mind. Finally, she gave in and cracked open an eye, just to prove to herself that Giana was as she normally was, that she had not somehow grown several inches in the short time it took her to make a round trip to and from the kitchen, and Liz was just crazy. Maybe then she'd finally be able to catch some Z's. She glanced up at the face of the person's who shoulder she leaned against and then, satisfied, closed her eyes again, preparing to go back to sleep.

_Funny. Giana looked an awful lot like Will,_ Liz thought tiredly.

Her eyes snapped open and it all finally clicked. "Wha- Will-" Liz began with a sputter before a shove against her back sent her sprawling forward onto the floor. Biting back a curse, she glanced over her shoulder to look for the person who had quite obviously pushed her.

"My my, Lizzy, how clumsy of you," Carol sneered as she took a seat next to Will, where Liz had been sitting mere seconds before. "Going to sleep and falling right off the couch and onto your face, tsk tsk. Maybe you should go back to bed. I do appreciate you keeping my seat warm however. Thanks!"

As Carol settled in snugly against Will's arm, he was casting a look of concern down at Liz. "Are you okay?" Will asked. _And yes, it most certainly IS Will sitting there, not Giana,_ Liz confirmed as a flush of embarrassment rose in her cheeks. How could she possibly even begin to mix him up with Giana, no matter how tired she was?

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking," she answered stiffly as she rose, dusting herself off and glaring at Carol. "Maybe I wouldn't have been falling asleep if I hadn't been kept up last night by _someone's_ deviated septum, causing them to make noises all night that were comparable to that of the squeals of a dying animal." The goth just turned her head with a flick of her hair, happily ignoring Liz.

Shaking her head, Liz turned to see Giana standing in the archway between the TV room and the kitchen. It was obvious had seen the whole thing, cause she indicated Carol with a glance and then rolled her eyes and gave a sour smirk. Liz nodded silently in agreement. As the two girls took up new seats on a smaller couch, Giana handed Liz a caffeinated soda and, so as not to be heard over the movie, whispered, "You really think Carol's snoring is comparable to a dying animal?"

Popping the can open, Liz muttered, "I think _Carol_ is comparable to a dying animal." Giana snorted in appreciation.

As Liz took a sip from her drink, she watched Will shrug Carol off of his arm and put a few inches between them. Carol's pout at least provided some consolation. Giving it no more thought, she studied Will out of the corner of her eye, who was now fully focused on the television, a small grimace creasing his expression - a very different look by comparison to what she had seen when she peeked up at him while leaning against his shoulder just moments before. She was almost certain she remembered seeing a small, almost secretive smile on his face during that glimpse. Maybe he had just been enjoying the movie. But then... she could have sworn his cheeks were slightly redder than usual. ...blushing, perhaps? Impossible, Will did not blush! It probably was just a trick of her woozy, tired mind. Lack of sleep could do that to you.

* * *

Two movies, one snack break and one play session with Kody later, Liz found herself seated in front of the Darcy family's prized grand piano. It was a sleek black color, polished to a gleaming shine, and big enough to eat a pony - if pianos were ever inclined to do so. Giana sat on the bench beside Liz, playing a gorgeous tune that showed off the young woman's many years of piano practice. Not far from the two girls, Will and Carol were sitting in a rather cozy love seat that Carol was taking full advantage of, pressing up against Will once more as she spoke to him. Charlie had joined the small group by this point and was sitting in a cushiony arm chair nearby, taking part in the conversation. If one were to ask Liz what the conversation was pertaining to, she would not have the foggiest. She was far too distracted to pay attention to a single word, for every time she glanced out of the corner of her eye, she saw Will staring at her.

Feigning interest in Giana's finger work as the girl got into a more complex part of the piece, Liz tentatively glanced in Will's direction once more through lowered lashes. Confirming that, despite Carol's best efforts to grab his attention, his eyes were still firmly on Liz, the brunette quickly looked away once more, fighting the rising warmth in her cheeks. Why was he watching her? Last time he had stared at her so often was back in her college courses, back when she thought he hated her and was determining her every flaw. But in reality, he had been in love with her all that time... but that was all in the past, a past she had quite thoroughly ruined. He could not possibly be staring at her now for anywhere near the same reasons! ...could he?

_Gah!_ Liz's mind sighed in exasperation as she agitatedly raked her hands through her hair. _When did I become such a girl?_ she berated herself.

"Oh come on, my playing isn't _that_ bad!" came Giana's teasing voice.

Liz blinked and stared blankly at her friend. "Wha?" was her sophisticated inquiry.

Smirking, the blond responded, "You look ready to pull out your hair over there."

Realizing she still had her fingers digging into her scalp, Liz quickly brought them back down and clasped them in her lap, pasting a bright smile on her face. "Oh, it's not that, you're _really_ good. It's just that..." she trailed off, sparing a split second peek towards Will again. He was now looking at Charlie, nodding at something he was saying. Looking quickly back at Giana, she continued, "...er, just that... I'm jealous. Yeah, that's it, jealous. Of your playing. I could never play that well in a million years."

Giana had followed Liz's gaze to her brother, and a knowing smirk played across her lips. "Riiiight, I'm sure that's it." Before Liz could finish a nod of confirmation, Giana stated, "Liar."

"What?" Liz asked innocently. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be jealous? That last piece was beautiful."

Both girls knew that was not what Giana had been specifically getting at. However, except for a small eye roll, she let it go... for now. "Will told me you were quite the piano player yourself at Rosings Park."

"Now who's the liar?" Liz muttered, quirking her lips. "Did he also tell you that I played _Chopsticks_?"

"He did," she nodded. "He also said you put an interesting turn on the tune," she added with a gleam in her eyes.

Snorting, Liz answered, "I guess 'interesting' would be one word for it. Other, probably more appropriate words would be loud and as annoying as possible. Mrs. De Bourgh was thrilled to hear it."

Giggling, Giana said, "Oh, I bet she was ecstatic, being the fine connoisseur of music she always claims to be." The way Giana had finished that sentence - as if it left a sour taste in her mouth - led Liz to believe the young Darcy had been forced to bear the presence of the Grand Lady Catherine De Bourgh in the past more times than she would have liked.

"So, you still think I gave such an excellent performance at Rosings Park?" Liz asked with a challenging smile.

Looking thoughtful, Giana said, "Well, I believe it takes a true master of the arts to turn a child's playful melody into such a devastating weapon."

"You do know that I practically flunked out of my piano lessons and nearly drove my instructor into early retirement, right?"

"Perhaps you just didn't have the right teacher," came Will's voice. Liz turned to see he had joined them at the piano. She looked passed him and saw that he had left Caroline looking forlorn and abandoned while Charlie talked to her - well, more _at_ her, as it was obvious she was not paying attention to a word he was saying.

"We gotta stop meeting like this," Liz deadpanned. As he stared blankly at her, she mumbled, "You know... me at a piano, you appearing out of nowhere to stand beside the piano..." Liz turned to Giana and added, "It happens more often than you'd think."

Giana smirked and shrugged. "I believe you."

Ignoring them, Will said, "Seriously, maybe you just needed to try having someone else teach you."

"Seriously, I don't think you know how bad I am at the piano. My rendition of _Chopsticks_? Just the tip of the iceberg. A cross-eyed rhino in a top hat would be better at playing the piano than me."

Smirking, he asked, "Really? This I have to hear. Play something for me." He crossed his arms and leaned casually against the side of the piano.

"Alright, but I warned you. It's a good thing you're loaded, because I won't be able to cover the hospital bills when your ears start bleeding," Liz sighed. She tapped her chin for a moment, going through what tunes she knew, which did not take long as it was a very short list. Having decided on what to play, she then gave the grand piano a stern look, as if daring it to defy her. Finally, she slowly placed her fingers on the keys and began.

Not everyone knows that a piano can warble. And perhaps it may not truly be physically possible for a piano to warble. However, never being one to let physical limitations stop her, Liz played her tune with almost every note coming out as a wavering warble. The tempo was off. Her fingers were clumsy. Every now and again, she would hit the wrong key. However, the melody she played was at least recognizable, somewhat, as one half of a simple duet that was popular among young pianists. Recognition flashed across Giana's face and she began to play the other half of the duet. The perfection of Giana's portion only made Liz's pale by comparison even more, but if Liz minded at all, she did not show it. She just smiled happily at her friend.

When the girls finished, Liz looked expectantly towards Will. He was silent at first as he pensively tapped his curled fingers against his lips. Finally, he stated, "You said a cross-eyed rhino, right? Are you sure you didn't mean a blind and highly-intoxicated rhino?"

"Shut up," Liz laughed as she tried to make a swat at his arm, which he easily side stepped.

He gave a small smile as he went on, "No, really, it wasn't _that_ bad. There's just some room for improvement."

Liz muttered, "Understatement of the year."

"Show me how your hands were on the piano," Will requested and he walked around the piano and knelt next to Liz - as there would not have been enough room for him and the two girls on the piano bench... well, not enough to be comfortable anyway. Liz complied and spread her fingers over the keyboard. Will frowned. "Hm. That doesn't look right. Try this." He reached out and began adjusting her hands and fingering. As he did so, he continued, "And your timing was a bit off as you played. You may want to try keeping count in your head, to keep a rhythm, if that doesn't sound too silly. Got that, Elizabeth?"

She really had not, as Will put it, 'got that.' Instead, she had become a little distracted by the closeness of Will and was focusing more on the warmth and feel of his hands as he rearranged her own hands. As he went silent, Liz slowly realized he expected a response. "Ah... counting- what? Oh, right, like one, two, three, one, two, three." Pause. "Except silently... in my head." _Smooth, Liz. Absolutely brilliant. You retarded chimpanzee._

He quirked an eyebrow at her, but smirked. At least that had to be a good sign, right? Like he did not think she was a total half-wit. "Right." He then looked passed Liz towards his sister. "Now, Giana, since you seem familiar with the tune, try playing the part Elizabeth played before."

"Right-io," Giana nodded. At Will's insistence, Liz watched Giana's fingers as the blond girl played a much more practiced and polished version of what Liz attempted earlier.

"So," Will began once Giana came to a grand finish, "now that you've had a bit of a refresher on the tune, give it another go with the suggestions I made."

Liz took in a deep breath, let it out, and tried again. After the few musical notes escaped the piano, She almost faltered as she realized there _was_ an improvement in her playing. She was no piano prodigy and Giana had certainly played it much better, but she was doing leaps and bounds better than she had moments before. She grew more confident as she played on, finishing the piece with a huge grin on her face.

Giana's mouth hung open for several seconds in pure silence. Then, "Geeze, Will, I think we found your calling. Piano instructor extraordinaire."

When Liz turned to look at Will, she saw he looked almost as dumbfounded. "Actually, I was just making all of that up. I didn't think it'd actually work, not that well at least."

"Well that's reassuring, glad you put so much thought into it," Liz teased, still on a small high from her performance.

He smirked. "What I'm trying to say is that I think that was all you, Elizabeth. I could have been anyone and said anything. You don't really need the help, just someone to nudge you in the right direction."

Liz considered that. "Well, I guess I have always been kind of a fast learner."

Giana raised a skeptical brow at her. "You? A fast learner? Who, and I quote, practically flunked out of her piano lessons and nearly drove her instructor into early retirement?"

Liz snorted, and then shrugged. "Yes. Just 'cause I'm a fast learner doesn't mean I'm not also stubborn. When I was taking those lessons, I got mad at the smallest mistakes and was very hardheaded, probably giving my teacher heart attacks every time I threw a tantrum. Thank goodness I've grown out of that."

"You mean you've mellowed out?" Will asked, only half joking.

"_Yes_, I have," Liz laughed, making to swat at Will again. Since he was still kneeling beside her, she successfully smacked the back of his head. "If you think I'm bad now, just be thankful you didn't know me as a kid."

"Oh, believe me, I am," Will quipped, feigning hurt as he ran his fingers through his golden hair and massaged where Liz's hand had made contact with his head.

"Putting that aside," Giana interjected, "you definitely have potential. If its something you would be interested in, you should definitely look into getting lessons again."

Liz tapped at one of the keys as she mulled over it, before smirking. "And who's going to teach me, you?"

"Or Red," Giana suggested. "You have met him, right? My cousin?" she asked at Liz's blank stare. She slowly nodded in response. Giana chuckled softly. "I know he's a bit of a goof, but the boy knows his music. When his band doesn't have a gig, he teaches piano lessons on the side for some extra cash."

"I guess I could see that," Liz muttered. It was true, Liz had never met anyone more musically inclined than Red... but she just could not see him having the discipline and authority to train other people. But, if nothing else, she bet he would be a fun teacher. "I'll look into it. Thanks. And who knows, maybe you and I will play in concert one day, our name in big flashy lights and all that jazz."

"Oh, Lizzy, you're such a kidder," Carol's voice butted into the conversation, laughing but with a hint of a sneer in it. She had joined the three of them at the piano, arms crossed. Charlie had joined them as well, and he had a somewhat apologetic look on his face, which soon became apparent as to why as Carol continued. "Why would Giana ever want to do any sort of concert with you? I heard you playing earlier. Giana would be horribly damaging her future dreams of becoming a world famous pianist if she associated with the likes of you."

_Ouch... except not really_, Liz thought with a barely concealed roll of the eyes. Carol tended to be a little more subtle with her barbs... well, as subtle as Carol could be. But the goth girl had started today in what seemed to be a fouler mood than usual, and it had just all gone downhill from there, much, _much_ further downhill. Liz responded dryly, "Thank you, Carol, for that lovely vote of confidence. I'll catalog it into the file cabinets of my brain under C for 'Couldn't Care Less' and store it away until I will inevitably and happily forget it. So anyway, Giana, before we-"

"What _are_ you doing here anyways? I don't believe you ever said," Carol snapped, forcing herself back into the conversation. She was inspecting her black nail polish with an attempted air of indifference. She failed.

Beside her, Liz heard Giana start up another tune on the piano. It was probably to avoid getting pulled into the unavoidable conversation that was about to ensue with Carol... and probably to drown out the sound of her voice as well. Ah, if only Liz could escape so easily. Letting out a loud, drawn-out sigh, Liz responded, "Well, I actually did say, but to sum it up, I was on vacation with my Aunt and Uncle - you remember them, right? You mistook them for bellhops and demanded they carry your luggage. Anyway, we were on our way and the car broke down in front of Will's house and here we are. The End."

"How convenient," Carol muttered, glaring at Liz. And then there was a flash of something across her face, and Liz could tell the gears were suddenly turning in Carol's head. _Rusty gears at that, I'll bet. I can practically hear them squeaking,_ she mused. A slow smile crept across Carol's face. "You said... vacation? I'm surprised you didn't bring your boyfriend."

Pursing her lips, Liz narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Carol as she said slowly, "I don't have a boyfriend. If I do, I wish somebody would have told me."

Doing that annoying, fake little laugh that Carol did so well, she stated, "Oh, don't be coy, Lizzy Sweetie, you know perfectly well who I'm talking about. Now what was his name... ah, yes... George Wickham."

The piano let out a few abrupt clangs, the melody that had been previously playing becoming all tangled, and then went immediately silent. Liz quickly glanced at Giana to see that the girl was looking back at her, a mixture of discomfort and confusion in her eyes. Liz whipped her head back around to scowl at Carol and said through gritted teeth, "He's not my boyfriend."

Pressing the tips of her fingers to her mouth in barely concealed glee, Carol cooed, "Oh, I do believe I've hit a nerve. I'm _so_ sorry. What happened? George seemed so wonderful, so charming, so perfect for you!"

Giana was no longer looking at Liz, but was now staring down at the piano and had wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold. Will had taken up a position at her side, placing a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. He growled warningly, "Carol..."

Carol ignored him as if he had not said anything - or maybe she took it as some sort of encouragement. "Did you two break up? Oh, he didn't dump you, did he? Oh, how painful that must have been! To be tossed aside by some guy you thought so highly of! Who you defended so stubbornly!"

What did Carol think she was doing? Did she think she was winning points somehow, that this was somehow supposed to make Liz look bad and herself look good or possibly even clever? Despite her growing anger, Liz stated as evenly as she could, "No, it's not like that. We were never- look, this isn't the time or place to discuss this. Can't we just-"

"Oh, I get it now," the raven haired girl interrupted once more, her voice all sugary sweetness. "You dumped him. What happened? Was it him? Was he dumb? Or boring? Or maybe he wasn't a good kisser..."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep, settling breath, Liz grumbled, "Shut up."

"I think I'm getting warmer. Did he get a little too friendly, over step his bounds? Maybe he got a little too handsy?"

With each word that came out of Carol's mouth, Giana's complexion grew paler and paler and her hand unconsciously drifted toward the scar at her temple. Seeing her friend being haunted by unwelcome memories, Liz raised her voice and demanded more forcefully, "Shut. Up."

Glancing uncomfortably at his sister, Charlie said timidly, "Carol, maybe there are more, er, appropriate things we can talk about?"

"Shut up, Charlie," Carol spat without sparing her brother a glance. She then gave an over exaggerated gasp. Her voice now dripping with sympathy that she obviously did not feel, she asked, "My god, he didn't try to _do_ anything to you that you didn't want him to do, did he? Did he get you alone? Did he hurt you? Did he not listen to you when you said 'No'? Did he try to force himself-"

"_I said shut up!_" Liz bellowed and before she knew it, she was standing and her fist was making contact with the bridge of Carol's nose. Carol's feet flew out from under her and she landed hard on her back with a loud THUNK! Dazed and not fully conscious, Carol let out some low, painful groans. That was the only sound that could be heard as everyone else stared in shocked silence, first at the girl at their feet, then slowly up at the other girl who had put her there. Huffing furiously and blowing a few stray brunette bangs out of her face, Liz gave a slow shrug.

"This is nothing. Like I said, be thankful you didn't know me as a kid."

* * *

After Liz's retelling of the afternoon's events to her aunt and uncle, the first words out of Maddy's mouth were, "Oh man, and I missed it?"

Liz blinked a few times then said slowly, "Okay, totally not the reaction I was expecting."

"Did her feet go soaring over her head?" Her aunt asked excitedly as she bounced on Liz's bed. It was now evening and the three of them were all gathered in the room Liz was occupying, Liz near her bags as she packed, Chris standing not too far off, and Maddy kneeling on the bed. "I bet they did. I bet you laid the righteous smack down on her, alright, and that it was hilarious. Did blood go everywhere?"

Sighing, Liz massaged her fingers into her right temple. "Although, why I'm surprised, I'm not sure. I should have known you would be thrilled."

"Thrilled? I'm ecstatic! I just wish I had been there to pulverize the flimsy piece of fluff. Would it have killed you to come and get me first?"

"Oh right, next time I'm about to sock someone in the face, I'll be sure to ask them to hang on a second because my aunt would love to be a spectator," was Liz wry response.

"Oh, could you? That'd be great," Maddy clapped happily. "This just made my day! Did you know we had, like, the coolest niece ever?" she asked, turning to her husband.

Liz also looked to her uncle Chris, her expressing imploring as she asked, "Don't tell me you're okay with this too? My behavior should not be encouraged!"

Chris considered her for a moment, crossing his arms. Then finally, with a heavy sigh, he said, "Liz, I'm very disappointed in you."

"Thank you!" Liz answered, satisfied. Somebody had to scold her.

"... disappointed, that is, that you only punched her," he finished. Liz gaped. "Don't you know you should always go for the eyes first?"

"Yanking hair is good too!" Maddy suggested helpfully.

Chris added, "I mean, come on, what have your parents been teaching you?"

"That... physical violence is not the answer?" Liz asked hopefully.

"Pfft, I always knew my sister was a hippy," Maddy muttered with a wave of her hand.

Liz glanced back at her uncle, still expecting some sort of reprimand. Smirking, he said, "Look, kiddo, did this Carol girl deserve it?"

Scrunching her forehead and thinking of Giana, Liz answered, "Well, I guess... yeah, definitely. But that's not the-"

"Then," he cut her off with a shrug, "referee rules, 'no foul.'"

"Score!" Maddy cried, raising her arms to symbolize 'Goal!' She and Chris then immediately followed it up with a high five.

Liz smacked her forehead. "Worst. Authority. Figures. Ever."

"We'll take that as a compliment," her aunt brushed off.

She shook her head, finally giving up and stating a disgruntled, "It's no wonder I'm such a screw-up."

Chris put an arm around his niece's shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze of a hug. "And we're so proud of our little screw up. Keep up the good work." Liz gave a half-hearted salute as a response, and he chuckled. He then started towards the door. "Welp, I'm going to head back and finish up our own packing. See you back in the room, doll."

"See you soon," Maddy responded, blowing an affectionate kiss to the wind he left, closing the door behind him. She then glanced back over at Liz as the girl rose to her feet and went to take out what few clothes she had stored in dresser during the weekend's stay. Maddy gave an amused, crooked smirk. "Okay, so you haven't left this room since your fist got close and personal with Carol's face. You're not going to hide in here forever, are you?"

"Of course not," Liz said distractedly as she folded a pair of jeans. "Just until everyone else goes to sleep, then we'll sneak out and vanish like ninjas into the night."

"Oooh, classy exit," she heard Maddy comment. "I'm sure that's how all the rich and famous do it now a-days."

With a snort, the brunette responded, "They do when they're a guest at someone's home and said guest assaults another guest. It's in all the rulebooks, you should read them some time."

"Hm. I think I missed that chapter. Maybe I- well, _helloooo._"

Not looking up, Liz laughed. "Hi. I'm Liz, I've believe we've met already."

"Not you. This." As Liz heard some shuffling noises, she finally glanced back to see her aunt pulling something out of one of Liz's bags.

As the object glinted in the lamp light, Liz gasped and dropped the clothes she was carrying as she dashed over, pulling the emerald necklace from Maddy's hands. She grasped the necklace tightly to her chest and stated, "Hey, private!"

"Lizbear, there is no such thing a private when it comes to family," Maddy answered smugly.

Rolling her eyes, she shot back, "Well then, how about I'm packing and what you were just doing was distinctly _un_packing?"

Ignoring her statement, the taller woman said in a sing-song, "Somebody's blushing."

"Am not," Liz grumbled stubbornly, despite the heat she felt in her cheeks.

As Maddy took a seat back on Liz's mattress, she cocked her head to one side as she studied Liz. "Will gave that to you, didn't he?" Liz's eyes widened and she gawked at her aunt. A wicked grin spread across Maddy's features. "Trying to catch flies?"

Liz snapped her mouth shut with a small scowl. Then she relaxed with a sigh. "You are freakishly intuitive sometimes, you know that?"

"It's a gift."

With another sigh, Liz sat next to her aunt, resting her hands in her lap and opening them up so they could look at the necklace once more. "Yeah, it's from Will. It's... part of the bad history I mentioned to you."

Her aunt was quiet for a few seconds before asking, "How can something so pretty be part of a bad history?"

"When it's used in an attempt to bludgeon the person who gave it to you?" Maddy blinked silently back. "It's a long story."

"I'll bet. One you gotta tell me some day," Maddy urged.

"I'll see what I can do."

Another minute passed without a word between them as they continued to stare at the piece of jewelry. Maddy then stated matter-of-factly, "It suits you."

"I guess," Liz whispered. However, her aunt's observation affected her more than she was willing to admit, if the small, warm feeling that was filling her stomach was any indication.

Her aunt made the suggestion, "You should talk to him."

"He doesn't want to talk to me," Liz said quickly.

"You should talk to him," she repeated, a little more sternly.

"But what if-"

"You should talk to him." This time, there was a definite note of finality in Maddy's voice. She would brook no argument.

Liz tried to stare her aunt down. In the end, all it took was for Maddy to cross her arms and to raise an eyebrow and it was over. "Fine," Liz hissed. "Fine, I'm going! Geeze." And with that, she left the room, leaving behind an aunt who looked very pleased with herself.

While it was obvious that Liz had left to look for Will at Maddy's insistence, it was still worth noting that Liz had no idea what she was going to say to him. She did not even know where to start. _'Hey, Will, hope I didn't get too much blood on your carpet when I kicked Carol's ass.'_ Or how about, _'I know I ripped out your heart and stomped all over it around Christmas, but I think I changed my mind. You game?'_ There was always the classic, _'Nice weather we're having.'_ So many wonderful icebreakers, how could she possibly begin to choose?

As she walked down the darkened hallway, she realized she still had the necklace clasped in her left hand, swinging with every step she took. She slowed a bit as she contemplated it. She still had not really properly apologized to Will, for all the misunderstandings, for all her cruel words... for everything. Sure, he had seemed fine over the past few days, almost as if nothing had ever happened. But Liz could not let herself off the hook so easily. She would find Will and say she was sorry and that she hoped everything was truly good between them. She would also return the necklace itself, for she could not possibly accept it under the circumstances of their last parting. As if staring at the emerald in the tear pendant strengthened her resolved, she nodded to herself and continued her trek, coiling the necklace into her palm so that it hid safely in her protective fist.

However, as she continued her search, it quickly became apparent she really had no idea where to look for Will. It _was_ a rather big house after all. Plus she had not seen Will since she had floored Carol several hours earlier. He could be any number of places by now, including nowhere near the premises. Best she could hope for was to wander aimlessly until she randomly bumped into him. Hopefully she would not be roaming the halls all night.

It was not long before she found herself in the piano room - the scene of the crime. She could almost imagine the chalk outline of Carol's body on the floor. Of course, the room was now empty and had probably been for a while. As evening moved onto night, the room was mostly dark with some illumination coming from the silver moonlight streaming through a row of large, thinly curtained windows. Liz moved through the room to exit on the other side and further her explorations. However, her eyes were drawn to the pictures on the wall. She had noticed them when she was there earlier, but she had not really paid them much attention. Curious, she hesitated in front of one momentarily before leaning in for a closer look.

It was a photo of a man, a woman, and two children. Liz's eye was drawn almost immediately to one of the children, a young boy of about four or five years with blond hair brushing the top of his ears and bright, green eyes. She instantly knew that the little boy was a younger Will. _This must be a family portrait..._ Liz's thoughts murmured as she let her eyes wonder towards the other people. The man in the picture, Will's father, was tall and broad shouldered with slick black hair and coal eyes that had a powerful gaze that firmly held anyone who looked upon them, even though it was only a photograph. He had a stern, stoic look on his face, the same one Liz had seen on Will's face many times, the look she had mistaken for arrogance. However, in this instance, she could tell the look on the man's face was more pride... pride for his family and a fierce love for them as well. Liz moved her eyes to take in the woman next. Will's mother was sitting in a maroon, cushioned chair, a slender woman with silky, wavy blond hair. Liz now knew Will had his mother's eyes, as she stared at the woman's piercing sparkling forest green ones. She was beautiful and looked very warm and friendly with her laughing grin, as if whoever was taking the picture had just told her the funniest story in the world. In her lap, she hugged the second child, barely an infant in a fluffy, powder blue dress. That must have been Giana. Liz smirked at the baby's open-mouthed, confused look before returning her gaze to young Will. The boy had a huge smile on his face that showed all his teeth, including one empty gap where he must have recently lost his first tooth. Liz cocked her head to one side and resisted the urge to say 'awwwww'. She was mildly saddened that Will did not smile like that now a-days, at least not since she had met him.

She found herself examining further down the wall where more pictures were hanging. One here of Will's parents together, his father behind his mother with his arms hugged around her shoulders. One there of little boy Will holding toddler Giana's hand as she took an uncertain step, a look of the protective older brother already apparent on Will's young features. And another one, Will with his mom taking a walk down a forest path, probably the same forest Liz was surrounded by now.

As she was about to move onto another picture, she was startled as she heard a soft click and a lamp near her filled the room with light. Looking over her shoulder, she found Will standing in the doorway, hand still on the light switch and looking at her curiously. "Elizabeth? Did you need something? Why were you in the dark?"

Everything she had been planning to say to him, all the words, fled her mind and all she could do was draw a blank. Panicking, she gripped the necklace tighter in her hand and moved it behind her, trying to hide it. Why she suddenly did not want Will to see it, she did not know, nor really have the time to contemplate it at the moment. Instead, she lamely stuttered out, "I was... ah, hungry! I, er... got lost... on the way to the... kitchen!"

He raised a skeptic eyebrow at her, but then just shrugged. "Well, actually, I was on my way there now. You can come with me."

"Thanks, that'd be swell," Liz said, cringing inwardly. _Swell? Really?_

She followed him out of the room and down a hallway. They walked in silence for a few seconds. Whatever Will was thinking was a complete mystery to Liz, because his face was blank as he stared straight ahead. Not knowing was driving Liz crazy. Was he thinking she was creepy, wandering through his house at night? Did he think she was a blood-thirsty barbarian for clocking Carol in the nose? She did not even know what had happened to Carol after she had floored her... maybe he was making funeral arrangements for Charlie's sister? _No, no, I didn't hit her THAT hard, _ Liz shook her head vigorously in protest.

She seemed to have caught Will's attention, for she heard him ask, "Something bothering you?"

Glancing over at him, she was relieved to see that he had an amused smirk on his face, small though it may be. _Good, now I can definitely rule out that I committed involuntary manslaughter._Uh... I was just wondering what happened to Carol. I haven't seen her since..."

"Since you vanished?" Will supplied.

"Er, sure, that's what I was going for," Liz said, blushing slightly.

His grin widened a bit. "She's fine. Oh, once she was fully awake again, she flipped out a little bit. Claimed she was going to bleed out through her nose and shrivel up and die. I'm sure it was nothing some ice and maybe a small splint could have cured, but Charlie drove her to the closest hospital just in case. He'll call when he has more information."

"Oh," Liz said, mostly relieved, but still a little ashamed. "Was Charlie mad?"

"Nah. A little exasperated, but I think that had less to do with what you did and more to do with the fact that he wasn't looking forward to dealing with Carol talking his ear off to and from the hospital, an hour each way." Liz made a face, imagining what a bloody-nosed, screeching and wailing Carol would be like and silently thanking whatever higher power saved her from hearing that. Noticing the look Liz gave him, Will added sympathetically, "At least Ms. Reynolds went with them, so he's not alone. But I think Carol is going to steer clear of you now. She may think you're just a tiny bit crazy."

Liz smiled. "Well, she can think I'm a psycho axe-wielding murderer running around in bunny slippers for all I care, as long as it keeps her away from me."

She heard a soft snort escape him as then entered the kitchen. They stopped and he turned to her as he continued a little more seriously, "But you really do not have to worry about Charlie being angry. He doesn't know the entire history with George, but he knows some of it... enough of it to know that Carol went too far."

"If only Carol had known she went too far," Liz rolled her eyes as she leaned against a counter.

Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed, "Carol... should have known better. She was upsetting Giana, she heard my warning tone, she heard Charlie try to change the subject, and Im sure she heard you repeatedly tell her to stop..."

Tracing the tiling on the counter top, Liz muttered, "I'm sure she heard the sound of my knuckles fracturing her nose."

"That too." Liz was not looking at him as she continued to outline the checkered counter with her finger tip, but she was certain she could hear a grin in his voice. "The point is, Carol was given many chances to... reconsider, but she didn't. In a way, she... well..." Will seemed uncertain how to word it.

Liz snapped her head up in surprise as realization struck. "You're not saying she deserved it, are you?" Her aunt and uncle saying that was one thing, but Will was something completely different.

"Not exactly, but..." he hesitated again, looking down and frowning as he took a second to search for words. He then looked her in the eyes and finally said, "Just don't feel bad about it. You may have overreacted... or maybe you didn't, I don't know. But your heart was in the right place. You did it to protect my sister, and you definitely should not feel bad about that. I... appreciate it." A small, warm smile slowly spread across his face. "Thanks."

Liz found herself returning his smile without even realizing it. "You're welcome."

He cocked his head slightly to one side, a few of his golden bangs falling into his eyes as he studied her. His smile had turned into a half grin as he looked down at her. Then, slowly, he took a step toward her. As if in a trance, Liz leaned forward. Her eyes drifted close and she tilted her chin up and...

_What... was... I... thinking?_ Liz could not enjoy the feel of Will's warm arms wrapped around her, not right at this second. Nor could she be bothered to take pleasure in the way he smelled. She barely even noticed how perfectly they fit together when they embraced. Because that's all it was: an embrace. A simple, little hug. And Liz had thought he was going to kiss her. Again. _What is the matter with me?_ Liz's mortified thoughts scolded her. _First time, he just wants eggs, now he's just thanking me... what next? Is he going to sneeze and I'm going to throw myself at him?_ She winced. _Oh please, oh please, oh please, don't let him have noticed..._ No such luck.

She felt him pulling away from her and as he did so, she watched his face carefully. He had a puzzled look in his green eyes. "Did you just...?"

"No. No, I didn't," Liz said quickly. _Oh, way to be discreet._ "I mean... what?" _Nice save._

"You did," he said slowly. "Just like yesterday, while I was-"

"No, you weren't."

"-and you... I thought I was imagining-"

"You most definitely _were_ imagining it." Liz somehow thought if she kept cutting him off, it would fix everything. Look at how well it had worked for her so far.

Will raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay... what was I imagining?"

_Crap,_ Liz's mind cursed. Her current plan of attack did not cover this. "Uh... I dunno?" _Dodged that bullet._

"Elizabeth, is there something-"

"Nope, not a thing." She had begun to inch back from him.

"Elizabeth-"

"I have to go." She turned to make her escape. However, she only had taken one step when she felt Will's hand close around her wrist. She started, and then turned hesitantly to look at Will. But he was not looking at her, but rather down at her hand. She looked as well and realized that dangling from her fingers was the emerald necklace. Liz had all but forgotten that she had been holding onto it, hiding it from Will in her panic. Now it was out in the open, the chain tangled in her fingers and the pendent swaying innocently.

Biting her lower lip, Liz glanced back up at Will. He was now looking at her once more. In answer to the silent question in his eyes, she said, "Yes, I kept it. So what? Don't read anything into it. Because there's nothing to read into. Theres not even any words. Its just blank. Nothing whatsoever. It's... I just..."

As she babbled, she hardly noticed as Will tilted his head to one side again. Nor did she notice the small, upturn in the corners of his mouth. He had not let go of her wrist however, and she _did_ notice when he gently began to pull her towards him. She did not resist, just abruptly went quiet as the distance between them shrank until it was nonexistent. Her breath caught as she felt his hand sweep a few stray brunette locks out of her face. He then gently brushed his finger down her cheek to place it under her chin and tilt her face up towards him. And then he bent down towards her and she felt a hint of his breath before their lips met.

It was not like the first time they kissed. It was not a surprise. It was not unexpected. It did not fill Liz with a sense of confusion and revulsion warring for dominance, neither gaining the upper hand. No, this was not any of that. This was just... right. Pure and simple.

It started out slowly, tenderly, as if testing the whole feel of it. Maybe Will feared a repeat of his last attempt to kiss her and ending up with another bloody nose - Liz had been doing an awful lot of that lately, hadn't she? He was emboldened, however, once he seemed reassured that Liz had no intention of inflicting bodily harm on him and did in fact seem to be enjoying herself. He released her wrist and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer, craving her warmth. Her hands, as if of their own accord, rose to link behind his neck as her fingers absentmindedly interlaced into his hair.

Liz felt herself being backed up into the counter, and she just stopped there not really caring, what with being preoccupied with more interesting matters. However, the counter suddenly became a little more appealing when Liz felt Will boost her up to sit upon it. This, given their height difference, made things a little more comfortable. The feeling of him lifting her up compelled Liz to smile against his lips and Will, encouraged, deepened the kiss.

She had never experienced anything like this. Sure, Liz had dated in the past, and had kissed her fair share of boys. But none of them had made her heart race as fiercely or made her so intensely aware of every little sensation or inspired such a flame within her. Liz had no idea where this was going, and part of her was a little scared by that. But another part of her was very eager to find out...

Slowly, Liz became vaguely aware that somewhere, something was... ringing? What with her mind being in such a delightfully hazy fog, she could not be sure at first. But then, as the ringing continued, she finally realized it was the kitchen phone. Reluctantly, she broke off their kiss to ask breathily, "Aren't you going to answer that?"

Undaunted by the interruption, Will moved to trail kisses down Liz's neck, causing her to shiver. He murmured, "The machine can get it."

Liz found it hard to argue with that, especially with the tingles running all throughout her, all the way down to her feet and causing her toes to curl. So she paid little mind to the remainder of the ringing, and even less to the recorded message typically played by the answering machine - _'You've reached the Darcy residence, we're not available, blah blah blah...'_, or something along those lines.

Then, the person calling could be heard.

_'Liz?'_ Was that... Jane's voice? _'Is Liz there? ... her email said to call this number.'_ It was. Liz's ears perked up, though it hardly had her undivided attention, not with Will's lips having hungrily returned to her own. Though did she sense a note of anxiety in her sister's voice? _'Listen, if Liz is there, please tell her to call her sister, Jane, as soon as possible. Lydia... she's missing, she's not answering her phone, she's... Luc's gone crazy with worry, Missy's freaking out... one of the basketball players is missing too, I think he's involved... you remember George Wickham?'_

The response was instant, almost electric, as the two burst apart from their embrace, as if they had been burned. As Liz raggedly caught her breath, her eyes were wide with shock. She looked at Will and saw his face was pale, but his expression was blank, except for his eyebrows angrily knitting together. There was also something... unpleasant brewing in his eyes. Jane's voice continued, _'I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to blather on about this to your machine, just... tell Liz to call Jane. Please.'_

Liz scrambled off her perch on the countertop to stumble over to the phone, grabbing it and answering, "Jane, I'm here. Hello? ...hello?" But Jane had already hung up a split second before. Liz violently hung the phone back up.

Lydia? Missing? But how...? She _was_ out of town at that rival school to cheerlead for that basketball game... could she have disappeared there? _Where_ was there, anyway? Liz racked her brain, but she was drawing a blank. What could have happened to her? True, Liz had not known Lydia for long, no more than half a year at best. But she had grown fond of her boy-crazy, cheerleading, major-changing roommate in that short time. What this must be doing to Lydia's brother... sure, the siblings bickered a lot, but Luc loved his baby sister. And Missy, well, Liz could only assume Jane had her hands full with their R.A., who had a knack for making a spectacle of herself for any occasion. And just thinking of her twin being caught up in the middle of all that... _Oh, poor Jane._

And then her mind came around to him. _George Wickham, _ her blood boiled at the mere thought. She should have known something like this would happen. In fact, she had feared as much and had tried to get Luc to warn Lydia away from the cheerleading squad, just to avoid George. But it had not worked because she could not say George's name, because she could not give a reason why. Because of-

"You," Liz stated, her voice harsh, barely above a whisper, as she pointed at Will. He had not moved since they had pushed apart, and he still had the same, stone cold look on his face. "This is your fault," she stated stiffly. There was no anger in her voice, only a deadly softness. "I tried to- to prevent this, but I couldn't. I couldn't say anything about George because you asked me not to, and I didn't. I wish I had. I shouldn't have listened to you. You always- If you hadn't- if I had-" she choked on her words and held back a sob, unable to finish.

Will did not say anything. In fact, it almost seemed as if he had not heard her, for he did not react. Instead, his mind seemed to be elsewhere, thinking of... who knew? Liz certainly did not. Liz sighed in agitation and tried to start again. "I need to..." she gestured vaguely in a random direction.

His eyes flickered as they finally fully focused on her, as if he were just noticing her for the first time. "Oh. Yeah sure, go ahead," he nodded.

In response, Liz returned the nod and quickly exited the room. She suddenly was feeling very claustrophobic, she needed to be outside. She ran towards the front door and opened it, all but slamming it behind her as she stepped out.

Standing on those steps that lead up to the house, Liz stopped and took a deep breath. Night had just fallen in its entirety, stars beginning to prickle the sky. A small breeze picked up, playing with a few strands of Liz's hair and sending a small chill down her spine. She held the breath she had taken for a moment, trying to calm herself down, before letting it out slowly. And then she felt it. A single tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away with annoyance and her mind refused to be soothed and thoughts kept assaulting her.

Yes, she was mad at Will. But more so, she was mad at herself. Mad that she blamed Will when it was not his fault, not really... mad that she had allowed something to happen to Lydia when she could have done something... mad for not finding some way, _any_ way, it prevent it. _This is all really my fault,_ she thought, bowing her head. Then she clenched her fist. _No... this is that bastard George's fault. He will not get away with this._

She glanced back over her shoulder at the house. Will's house. She was not yet ready to go back inside. Not after what she had said to Will. Besides, she felt she still needed some more air. She heavily made her way down the stairs onto the cobblestone path, and walked slowly at first, unsteadily, as if unsure of her footing. Then her pace began to quicken. She had no particular destination in mind, she just needed to be out, to be moving. She soon found herself jogging, and then sprinting. It was not long before she realized she was going up the driveway her uncle had driven down to get here a couple days before, the dark, gravely road a blur beneath her feet. If she ran fast enough, she could outrun everything: the tears threatening at the corner of her eyes. The worried thoughts of Lydia pummeling her mind. The memories of what had been happening just a few minutes before... with Will... it was all too much for her right now, right this second, and she just needed put some distance between herself and everything. She just needed her mind to be blank, just for a little while.

Having no awareness of time whatsoever, Liz did not know how long she was running. But running uphill, even on such a soft slope, was definitely taking its toll. Her muscles were in pain and her breath was ragged. Finally, she came to an ungraceful stop when her foot caught on an upturned tree root - one of many on the road, which she had been lucky to avoid up until now, what with running through the darkness. She tripped, but managed to catch herself before she had a crash collision with the ground. Hunching over, she braced her hands against her knees and gasped for air for a moment. "Tons of good this did me," she muttered to herself between breaths. "Now what?"

As if in answer to her question, the cricket chirps that filled the night were interrupted by the low rumble of a car engine. Straightening up to look behind her, Liz watched as the road slowly brightened with the stream of headlights. Shielding her eyes, she stepped to the side of the road as a car casually rolled up beside her. As her eyes adjusted to the new source of light and the vehicle came to a stop, Liz realized it was her uncle's car.

The front passenger window rolled down to reveal Maddy, an eyebrow raised at her niece. "We don't normally pick up hitchhikers, Stranger, 'cause they could be packing a chainsaw. But you look meek and pathetic enough that we're willing to give you a shot." As Liz blinked bemusedly at her aunt, the older woman smirked, though it was somewhat grim. "Will said there was an emergency and that you needed to be taken back to college right away. Hop in." She nodded towards the back seat.

"Oh," was all Liz could manage before she fumbled for the back door handle and climbed into the car.

As she buckled herself in, she noticed Chris eyeing her through the rear view mirror. He commented, "My, you look positively wild, kid. What _have_ you been up to tonight?"

Liz could only catch a glimpse of herself in the same rear view mirror, but she got the idea. Frizzy hair sticking out at every angle. Cheeks flushed from her exertion. Eyes ringed with a tinge of red. Sighing tiredly, she leaned her forehead against the cool glance of the window and responded simply, "I really don't know."

As the car took off once more and continued its ascent out of the valley, Maddy turned in her seat and reached over the back to hand something to Liz. "Will said you forgot this."

Not really even paying attention, Liz held out her hand. Maddy deposited a necklace into it. The necklace. Liz stared at the emerald somewhat numbly. She did not even remember losing it. Of course, she did not remember much of anything about her surroundings at the time, much less the necklace, after Will had kissed her. She must have dropped it at some point. Closing her hand around the cold chain and pendant, her uncle's question echoed through her mind once more. What had she been up tonight? And what was she planning on doing next?

* * *

**_A/N_:** I know, it's been too long, I'm a horrible person. I missed you guys! This was just one of those chapters that was quite a struggle to get out. I mean, true, I didn't start writing it til about... what, four months after my last chapter? But then yah, I struggled with it for the better part of 2 months after that. Funny, this one contained some of the first scenes I imagined for this story, so you wouldn't think it would not be so tough to write. Then again, these scenes have been sitting in my head for the longest and I've been building them up, so I just didn't want them to come out bad or cheesy! I'm mostly happy with this chapter, I hope it's at least a halfway decent read for you guys!

And we're getting closer to the end, woo! I'm hoping the rest of the story will come out faster 'cause really, this was the last hard chapter to write, the rest should be a cakewalk. Next chapter should not be a problem, ya know about the lydia stuff, and I really don't want to spend more time or typing than absolutely necessary on that, so it should be quick. Then we get to the fun stuff :)

Thanks again to all my reviewers, for the compliments and critiques and the constant reminder that this story still needs to be finished! And it will be soon... ish. Here's hoping I pump the next one out quickly.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Liz did not get back on campus as quickly as she would have liked. With a thick darkness having fallen and the road twisting and winding through the mountains, her uncle did not want to spend all night driving back to UCSC. And with many of the steep edges hugging the road, he did not want to risk any accidents in the dark. Besides, they had gotten lost once already on the drive up, he did not want to get them lost again going back, and that would be more easily avoidable during daytime. So it was not long after they had left the Darcys' frighteningly long driveway behind them that Chris spotted a small, beaten down looking motel along the side of the road, nearly hidden by the lush redwoods. Maddy and Chris considered it lucky. Liz just considered it agitating.

For one, she just wanted to get back as soon as she could to help her sister and friends. She was not sure if there was much she could do, but she just knew she had to at least be there. Plus, she had no idea what was happening, and it was driving her crazy. Jane's message had been very limited in information. And a whole lot could happen in the space of a night and what with her phone still being dead, she would not know anything new until she returned. Then there was the simple fact that she was worried about Lydia. And feeling guilty, both about Lydia and for blaming Will... and then there was the kiss...

And so it was not until the next morning - after a long, sleepless night that Liz tossed and turned as she tried to drown out the unhappy thoughts and confusing memories plaguing her mind - that the trio finally drove into Porter's parking lot. Dropping Liz off in front of her apartment, her uncle drove off with Maddy to find a parking space, assuring her they would bring up her luggage after they did. Liz ran up the stairs, taking two at a time, and fumbled for her key as she approached her front door. Putting her personal problems regarding Will in one corner of her mind, she was prepared to devote herself fully to whatever may be waiting for her on the other side of the door.

Before she could however, the door suddenly flew open as if of its own accord.

"Oh, Luc, you came back!" came Missy's cry as she burst through the door, but she stopped short when she saw that who stood before her was not Luc. "Oh, Liz..." she said, deflated, disappointment apparent in her voice. Liz had a moment to study her RA, noting that her normally perky, fiery curls were disheveled and droopy and there were some barely dried tear streaks running down her cheeks. Hardly a second past before Missy cried anew, "Oh, Liz!" This one was livelier, but filled with a sob as Missy threw herself on the brunette, hugging her shoulders and shaking a bit. Liz, surprised, nearly buckled under the added weight of her upset friend.

Oddly enough, of all the things Liz had expected to greet her at the door upon her return, a frantic Missy was not one of them. True, she was sure Missy would have been frantic no matter what the situation, but she would have more expected for her to be clinging to Luc's side to make sure her boyfriend was okay, not answering the door. Based on Missy's reaction however, Liz guessed that Lydia was still missing. And what was the first thing Missy had said? _'Oh, Luc, you came back,'... back? Where did he go that he needs to come back from?_

Liz awkwardly patted her friend's shoulder, not quite sure if there was anything she could say or do that would make it better. She doubted that it would be appropriate to question Missy on the current situation, given her less than cheerful state. Looking up, Liz saw that Jane had come to the door as well. "Welcome back, Liz," her twin said tiredly, flashing her a small, bleak smile. It was apparent she was relieved Liz was back, but there was no good news to report. Liz shot her a questioning glance, but Jane just slightly nodded her head behind her, indicating she would explain further once they were no longer outside.

Nodding in return, Liz said soothingly, "Come on, Missy, let's get you back inside." Jane helped disentangle a weeping Missy from Liz and the sisters, one on either side of her and gently supporting one of Missy's arms each, lead the RA back into their apartment, shutting the door behind them.

Sitting at the dining room table were Mary and Kitty. Mary looked the worse for wear of the two. She wore her clothes haphazardly, her hair was messy - even more so than its usual standards - and she looked as if she had not gotten a wink of sleep the night before, as her head drooped slightly. Kitty looked more put together, but her fidgety hands gave away her underlying anxiety. She kept wringing her fingers and fiddling with her phone that laid atop the table except when she flipped it open from time to time, which was every few seconds. Both girls muttered their welcome-homes to Liz as she and Jane walked by with Missy in tow.

Following Jane's lead, Liz helped her deposit the forlorn redhead onto one of the couches in the living room. "Why? Why is this happening?" Missy asked them meekly as she lay down.

"I don't know, but we're going to try to figure this out. Just rest now, okay?" Jane responded. Missy let out a heavy sigh and nodded, laying an arm over her eyes to block out the sunlight coming in through the window. The sisters then practically tip-toed away so as not to set her off again.

As they joined their apartment mates at the dining table and each took a seat, Liz inhaled deeply and readied herself. "Okay. What happened?"

There was silence for a few seconds as everyone exchanged glances, then Jane and Mary turned to Kitty. Kitty grimaced, and then began, "Well... I guess it started yesterday. Or rather, it may have started further back, but I didn't realize something was up until yesterday. See, you know how she was a cheerleader, right? For the basketball team, right? And they were out of town for that championship thing, right? The one at Riverside, right?" Liz suppressed an impatient eye roll at her friend's constant need to confirm each of her sentences with a 'right.' It was probably just a side effect of her unease. At least she now knew where the basketball meet had been. "So, see, she was supposed to get back yesterday, there was this bus that was supposed to shuttle them to and from Riverside. I went to meet her, and waited as everyone got off the bus. But... well..." she hesitated, growing a little flustered.

"She never got off?" Liz guessed.

"Yah, that," Kitty nodded. "I know she wasn't on it in the first place, I was waiting when the bus pulled up to the stop. I saw every person that left it, she wasn't there. That's when I tried to give her a call, but she didn't answer her phone. I came back here, thinking maybe she gotten a ride from someone else. But the only one that was home was Mary."

Mary jumped into the story at this point, adding her part quietly. "I hadn't seen Lydia yet, and that's what I told Kitty. When I talked to Kitty, I tried giving Lydia a call from my phone as well, though I doubted that she'd answer if she hadn't answered Kitty's phone. Same thing, it just kept ringing until I got her voicemail. Then I asked Kitty if she had checked with any of the other cheerleaders."

"Which I hadn't. Since I was getting a little worried at this point, I asked Mary to come with me when I went to talk to them. It took a while to hunt them down, and the first few girls we talked to didn't know, but then we talked to Emma, the lead cheerleader. She said she'd seen Lydia hanging out with one particular basketball player a lot during the championship, a real hottie according to her. When I asked who... er, well... Liz, do you remember George?"

"George..." Liz said slowly, nodding her recognition of the name as she felt her mouth go dry. She had known this part was coming, but it still did not stop the unpleasant roiling within her stomach.

"Yah, that George. You know, I thought you two had something going a while back. What happened there?" Kitty asked curiously.

With a slight wince, Liz responded, "Not the time, Kitty.

"Right. Anyway, when she mentioned George, I thought back on it. I didn't think I had seen George getting off the bus either. And by this point, between Mary and me, we had left, like, a million messages in Lydia's voicemail."

"Give or take a few," Mary muttered dryly.

"And she hadn't called back yet, so I was really getting nervous at this point. We came back here again and everyone was home this time - Missy, Luc, and Jane. I asked Luc if he had seen her, and he said no, that he thought she was just out with me. By that time, it was well past dark and no one had heard from her."

"That's when I started trying to call you," Jane told Liz. "I first tried your phone for a bit, but it just kept going straight to voicemail."

Liz slouched a little. "Sorry about that. Didn't know my battery would die so quickly. At least I emailed you."

"It's alright, of course it's not your fault. It's only by chance that I saw your email. I wasn't expecting you to be able to email, since I thought you were camping." She paused to give Liz a meaningful look. Liz knew this was regarding to the fact that she was not camping, but instead had somehow wound up at Will's home. However, Jane remained silent on that part, knowing there were more important matters at hand. Liz was sure they would come back to this later. "When I did read it, I then gave a call at the number you provided. Since you're here, I guess you got it." She then added sheepishly, "Sorry to interrupt your vacation with Aunt Maddy and Uncle Chris. I had a just had a bad feeling and I needed... I knew I'd feel better if you were here."

"No apology necessary, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, given what's happened," Liz responded sincerely.

As Jane gave a small, grateful smile, Kitty spoke up again. "So at that point, everyone was kind of freaking out. However, Luc quieted us down, pointing out that Lydia had done this a lot in the past: staying over at some guy's house without letting anyone know and then showing up the next morning as if nothing was out of the ordinary. As her roommate, I knew what he was talking about and agreed that might be the case." Kitty paused to tap a thoughtful finger to her lower lip. "Although... despite what Luc said, I noticed he still seemed worried... maybe he just said it to calm us down. Anyway, he told us we should just sleep on it and that Lydia would probably just pop up in the morning."

"Even though he said that..." Mary began, before stopping to chew on her lip for a second, mulling over something. "Well, I don't think he got much sleep last night. I've always been a light sleeper myself and with the possibility that something might be wrong, well... I didn't sleep much. And I heard Luc in the living room most of the night. He'd stayed over just to make sure Lydia came back. It sounded like he was just doing a lot of pacing."

"I thought I heard that," Kitty confirmed while Jane just added a silent nod of agreement.

_Well, it seems hardly anyone has gotten a good night's sleep last night,_ Liz mused. Her eyes still stung slightly from what little sleep she herself had gotten the night before. "Speaking of Luc, I noticed he's not around. And Missy said something about him when I first got here. Where is he?"

"I was just getting to that," Kitty supplied readily. "So, I got up a few hours ago... usual time I get up, despite knowing that if there was ever a day I should sleep in, it probably should have been today. Still nothing from Lydia, as she wasn't in her bed and I'm assuming someone would have come and gotten me if she had shown up. So, I just went to take my shower. I swear she must have had it planned, 'cause she knows that I take my morning shower at practically the same time every morning."

Liz cocked her head, not hiding her confusion. "What do you mean? She had what planned? And she... as in Lydia?"

"Yup. I'd taken my phone in with me to the bathroom, but I didn't hear it ringing over the sound of the shower. When I got out, I saw that I had a missed call and when I checked, sure enough, it was from Lydia. She'd left me a message."

"What'd it say?" Liz asked, leaning forward a bit in her seat.

Once again, Kitty picked up her phone, though this time instead of just checking it, it sounded a series of beep as she pressed a few buttons. Then, leaving it open, she placed it in the middle of the table as she said, "Hear for yourself."

_'Hiiiiiiiiii, Kitty!'_ Lydia's chipper voice rang out through the cell a bit crackly, probably from bad reception. _'Geeze, left me enough messages, ya think? You'd almost think I'd died or something. I swear you left me, like, a million messages or something.'_ Kitty looked pointedly at Mary, and the jet haired girl just rolled her eyes in response. _'Anyway, I'll have you know that I'm fine. In fact, I'm better than fine. I just couldn't wait to tell someone, and I knew Luc would never understand, so who better than my BFF!_

_'So, you remember that superman-babe on the basket ball team, George? The one that Liz totally screwed it up with? Well one girl's loss is totally another girl's gain. We were kinda flirting back and forth ever since I became a cheerleader, but things really took off in the last week, once we left that stuffy old campus. I mean, we've hardly spent a moment apart since we got on that bus, going out, having fun, staying up all night talking about random stuff... I mean, we're like practically SOUL mates. And damn, he's a good kisser! This has been an AMAZING week, oh my god, best ever! He thought so too, he said he's never had a connection like this with anyone before. How dreamy is that? Anyway, we got to talking, and... well... we decided to not come back. We're dropping out of college.'_

"What?" Liz cried, standing up in shock and her chair banging as it knocked over to the floor. A small whimper could be heard from the couch that contained Missy's resting form, though whether it was from Liz's outcry or from re-hearing the message was uncertain. "That's crazy! What the hell is she thinking? Oh, that's right, Lydia _doesn't_ think. I mean what the-"

"Shhhh," Jane hushed her sister as she pointed at the phone. Lydia's voice was still talking. Dreading the remainder of the message, Liz quieted down and continued listening as she righted her chair.

_'-I mean, I never really fit in there anyway, I couldn't find I major I liked. And I was just unhappy. I need to get away for a while, do my own thing. And George is totally on the same page... which brings me to the other thing I need to tell you. Now, this is the REALLY exciting part. So, you know the whole connection-thing he and I are having? Well...'_ the phone went silent as Lydia's voice hesitated for a second, then a giggle of barely contained glee escaped.

_'We're gonna elope!'_ the cell finally burst out happily.

"Wha-?" Liz began, but this time did not even need her sister to silence her. She could not even finish the word, she was so startled. Words could not even begin to form in her head. There was just a numb silence in her mind as she tried to comprehend what she had just heard.

_'I know, it's AWESOME, right? I'm getting all goosebumpy just thinking about it! I wish you could be here, I wish I could invite all of my friends! But George said it'd probably be better if we just kept it small, probably just the two of us for now, and I think he's right. Don't worry, I'll stage a second wedding later where everyone can come, it'll be a big party, and of course you'll be the maid of honor!_

_'Anyways, please, please, PLEASE, don't tell Luc! Not yet, anyway. He just won't get it, you know? And he'll probably get Mom and Dad involved, and I know they definitely won't get it. I promise I'll tell them when the time is right. I just couldn't keep you out of the loop any longer, so just keep a secret for now, k? I just feel so wonderful, I had to tell someone. I'm just glad I did it right this time... I found a guy, I let him know I was serious about it and I made him the one. This is forever, I'm sure of it this time!'_ There was a soft, content sigh. Then the extremely profound moment - at least, as profound as Lydia got - was interrupted by her quick, _'Gotta run, we'll talk for real later, buh-bye!'_

At first all Liz could do was stare blankly at the phone, mouth hanging open, as if waiting for it to explain further. Instead, the default recorded woman's voice spoke up, asking if the message should be deleted or saved for twenty-one days, which really was no help at all. Then Lydia's last words, before she said her goodbye, seeped in fully. _Let him know she was serious...? Made him the one...? That's sounds a lot like what I was telling her...Did I...?_

"Liz? What's wrong?" Jane asked, leaning forward in her chair and looking at her twin with concern. "You look pale."

"Oh. Um..." Liz began, awkwardly and distractedly. "I was just remembering... ah, when Lydia found out Denny was cheating on her, I ran into her when she was very upset. I talked to her... told her maybe she should slow down, just find one guy and stick to him, make a commitment. I wonder if- if maybe the..." she hesitated, her lips not quite being able to form the word 'elopement', as it seemed so strange and foreign now. "... if maybe this is all my fault."

"Aw, Liz, no!" Mary disagreed immediately at the same time Kitty quite bluntly stated, "Don't be stupid."

Jane patted Liz on the hand and reassured her, "Don't beat yourself up over something like that. Anyone else would have given her the same advice; it's just how she chose to interpret it. It's even possible what you said had no effect on the matter."

She nodded slightly in response, but Liz could not suppress a small, doubtful grimace. After all, Lydia had used almost the exact same words Liz herself had used when they had talked. Kitty attempted to put her further at ease by adding, "Maybe what you told her stuck in her mind, maybe it didn't. When it comes down to it, Lydia is just Lydia. She'll do what she wants to do, no matter what anyone says. Even if you did put the idea in her head, she was the one that went overboard and that was her choice."

Taking a deep, settling breath, Liz pushed that thought aside, as it did not help the situation one way or another anyway. What was done was done and they needed to move on. Scrunching her eyes closed, she concentrated on getting back to more important matters. "You were saying that... you were getting to the part about where Luc is? I'm guessing this message has something to do with that?"

"Gee, you're a regular Einstein, you know that?" Kitty quipped weakly. "So yeah, even though Lydia's message insisted that I not tell her brother, of course I wasn't going to listen. I took it almost immediately to Luc, who was still out in the living room. Everyone else was up at this point, so I just played it for everyone. After it was done, Luc like totally flipped out. I don't mean like, angry flipped out, though he probably was, Lydia was acting like a total... never mind, anyway. But he got mega serious, and you know Luc, he's a goofball, he _never_ gets serious, it was almost a little scary."

"What did he do?" Liz asked in an entranced whisper.

"Well... he told everyone to stay put, and that he was going out. And that when he came back, he'd have Lydia with him."

Eyes widening, Liz asked, "He's trying to track her down?"

Everyone at the table nodded silently by way of answer, while Missy's voice moaned pathetically from the couch, "Oh, Luc, why? Why did you do this? Can't you see what it's doing to me? Come back, Luc, please..."

Frowning worriedly for Missy, Liz regarded the others with mild disbelief. "But that's crazy! He doesn't know where to look, she might not even be in Riverside anymore. She could be anywhere."

"So what's being done about it?" came a serious, concerned voice from behind them. They turned to see Maddy and Chris standing near the front door. Liz had almost forgotten they had dropped her off not too long before with the promise to bring her luggage up soon. Said luggage now rested at their feet, with Maddy crossing her arms and Chris leaning a hand against a nearby wall. Their stance suggested they had been there listening for some time. Liz only wondered momentarily why she had not heard them come in and why Missy had not reacted. Maybe Missy had spotted them but upon seeing they were neither Luc nor Lydia, lost interest. Liz wondered how much they had heard.

At her apartment mates' bewildered stares, Liz provided hastily, "These are Uncle Chris and Aunt Maddy. They're who I was on the trip with. Uncle, Auntie, these are Mary, Kitty, and the comatose patient on the couch is Missy. And of course you already know your other lovely niece, Jane."

Maddy grinned at each in turn, though her grin was subdued when Missy did not even react. Then her face returned to complete seriousness - it was an unsettling change from her usual wise-cracking aunt, but circumstances certainly called for it. "Pleasure, I'm sure. I repeat: what's being done?" At everyone's blank stares between each other, she added, "Does the school know this Luc person and this Lydia person are missing? Do their parents know?"

Kitty traced a spiral with her finger into the table as she avoided their gaze timidly. "Well... we weren't really sure if there was a problem until this morning... and I think Luc didn't want Lydia to get in trouble with their parents, not if he could drag her back... We've been trying to call him all morning, but he won't answer his phone."

"And ever since he ran off, we kind of had our hands full," Mary muttered, glancing in Missy's direction. Liz suddenly wondered if the redhead had not been this docile since Luc had left. Meltdowns and wailing during a crisis did seem more her style. Maybe this was just the calm after the storm... it would also explain Mary's slightly bedraggled look.

Following Mary's gaze, Liz saw that Missy had sat up. She had a worried look in her eye and she had one of the couch's decorative pillows in her grasp, twisting it between her hands unconsciously. Liz raised a curious eyebrow, since this was the first time Missy had taken any sort of real interest in the conversation. As Missy began to speak, her voice came out almost as a croak. "I think... he may have also not told anyone because he did not want to get me in trouble either. I am her RA after all, I should have been more observant, seen it coming, stopped it somehow..."

Maddy sighed softly, and said gently, "It is not your responsibility as an RA to see the future. It _is_ your responsibility as her RA to report these problems to the right people, like a college adviser, and _especially_ the parents. You won't get in trouble, you'll be just be doing your job. And you'll be doing the right thing."

Looking down, Missy mumbled, "I guess you're right." She gulped. "Guess I'll start with giving their parents a call, since I know them... then stop by Porter's front office..."

"I'll go with you," Kitty offered eagerly.

"We'll _all_ go with you," Liz added, hoping it would calm Missy a little knowing she would not be doing it alone. The RA nodded silently, then reached for her phone and began to dial.

* * *

Luc and Lydia's parents were quite understandably upset, from what Liz could hear of their raised voices through Missy's phone. At least they seemed to have enough sense to not be blaming Missy, for she was only the bearer of bad news after all. And not long after Missy had hung up, everyone had headed with Missy to the campus office to report what had happened. No one was sure how much the school's staff could be of help, since Lydia and her brother were both over 18, legally adults and therefore responsible for their own actions. At least they would have a fair warning, for a frantic call from the missing siblings' parents was probably imminent .

Their parts in the current situation complete, everyone returned to the apartment rather dejectedly. It was now out of their hands and there was not much more they could do besides wait. It was about time for Chris and Maddy to be getting back to the road, so they gave each of their nieces a warm hug as a farewell. They also asked to be informed as soon as there was more information. They may not have known Luc and Lydia, but they were concerned all the same.

As the morning turned into afternoon, the girls just moped around the apartment - no classes to go to as it was still a holiday and neither of the runaways were answering their phones still. Morale was, quite obviously, low. Missy had retreated to her room to get some more rest, while Mary stayed nearby in case her RA and friend needed anything. Jane was in the kitchen, making food. No one was really hungry, but Jane found at times such as these, she could not just sit still. It was better to distract herself and busy her hands with something. Kitty was half-heartedly flipping through channels on the TV while Liz sat nearby, slouching into a couch. They had been joined by Charlotte. Charlotte had been in high spirits when she came to the apartment, having no idea what had happened. Now, having been informed, she sat crossed-legged on the couch near Liz, sighing unhappily and staring at the TV. None of the three girls were really paying attention to what was actually on.

Slowly, an idea - more of a question really, or a hunch - began to form in the back of Charlotte's mind. The curly-haired girl asked out of the blue, "Has anyone talked to his friends?"

Kitty blinked, then put the TV on mute before asking, "What? Whose friends?"

"George's friends," Liz supplied, catching on quickly, visibly brightening by a bit. "You know, like what's his face... Denny, that's it. Has anyone asked him anything? He might know more about what's going on or at least if George is still in Riverside."

Looking thoughtful for a minute, Kitty's lips slowly curled into a smile that held no mirth. "The scumbag who cheated on Lydia behind her back? No, no one has questioned him. I think we should pay him a visit. And I think we should make it painful."

Kitty remembered where Denny's dorm room was, having been there during the brief time when he and her friend dated. So it was not long before the three girls were at his door, knocking loudly to be heard over the booming music coming from the other side. The music immediately cut off and there were sounds of hasty movements on the other side - rearranging stuff, maybe? Or hiding something? Liz guessed the latter. Her guess was confirmed as the door slowly opened and the smell of pot assaulted her nose. Denny stood on the other side of the door, only cracked open a tiny bit at first as he eyed them suspiciously before muttering, "Oh good, its not the RA." He then opened the door all the way and leaned an elbow casually against the door frame, looking each girl up and down appreciatively and beaming like he had just hit the jackpot. "Sup, ladies? To what to I owe the pleasure?"

As Liz wrinkled her nose in disgust, she heard Kitty ask, "Hi, Denny. Can we come in for a minute?"

"Of course, I'll never turn down any foxy babes' requests," he said, as he moved aside to allow them room to get in.

"I'll bet," Liz heard Kitty mutter, no doubt remembering that fateful day Lydia had walked into this room to find Denny not alone.

Liz was not surprised in the least to see what a pig sty Denny's room was. Clothing - both clean and dirty - everywhere, half eaten food on unwashed plates that had been sitting there for who knows how long, an overflowing trashcan with a small pile of rubbish building up at its base from what had fallen out of it. And then there was the smell: weed was the most predominate, but there was a second underlying one that Liz could not identify, but one very excellent word to describe it was 'putrid.' Liz wondered what kind of girl would stay in this place for longer than 5 seconds - unless said girl was on a mission, much like she, Charlotte and Kitty were at the moment.

Denny had swaggered over and flopped into a bean bag chair and picked up a game controller as he resumed some video game he had been playing. Takeout boxes were piled atop the TV, forming a wobbly tower that looked quite ready to topple over. "So, Ladies," he asked nonchalantly, "what can I do ya for?" The implication was not lost on the girls, and he made it abundantly clear it was not lost on him as he added a crude little smirk.

Crossing her arms, Liz asked, "Have you seen George lately?"

That dampened his smirk a bit as he responded slowly, "No... should I have?"

"We haven't seen him around in a while," Charlotte stated carefully from behind Liz. She seemed to be glancing around the room with interest, though for what reason, Liz could hardly guess. There was hardly anything worth seeing in the room.

He shrugged in response, eyes glued to the TV, even as he took a sip from a soda can before putting it back down on a small, cruddy-looking side table that sat next to his bean bag chair. "He's been known to disappear for a few days. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, ya know?"

Rolling her eyes, Liz decided to try from a different angle. "You're on the basketball team with him, right?" Denny pressed his lips tightly together in thought, as if trying to decide if divulging that information would incriminate anything against him. After a second, he gave a curt nod, tapping a button a few times on his controller. "So, you went with him to that meet last week? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary for George?"

Shifting a bit in his seat, all earlier playfulness in his voice was completely gone as he answered, "Look, does this have a point? I'm kinda of busy right now."

Kitty chose at that moment to lean casually against the previously mentioned small table upon which Denny's soda rested atop. The nearly full can slid and tipped over, pouring all of its contents into Denny's lap - accidentally, of course. The small smile that graced Kitty's lips would attest to that. "Hey!" Denny cried indignantly, putting the game back on pause to flash Kitty an annoyed glare.

"Oops. How clumsy of me," Kitty said, false sincerity coloring her voice. Liz snorted as Kitty continued, "You two were supposed to ride the same bus back, right? Rumor has it he wasn't on that bus. Didn't you notice?"

"Look, he's my bud, but it's not like we're attached at the hip or anything," Denny growled back, having found a used napkin in a nearby pile of trash and now attempting to wipe ineffectively at the fresh stain with it. "I sat with other friends."

"Really? Is that all you have to say?" Kitty asked, now walking by directly in front of Denny. Liz heard a stomp followed by a yelp from Denny. Her eyes widened as she watched him bite back a curse and grab his foot, while Kitty clasped a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry, did I hurt you? I should really watch where I'm going, I have no idea what's wrong with me today!" Despite her words, Kitty's face looked more like it was trying to hold back a laugh. Liz was surprised - she did not know Kitty had it in her.

"What is your problem?" Denny snapped, but Kitty's only response was a shrug and a smile. "_Yes_, that's it. I have no idea where George is. You leaving now?"

Kitty shot Liz a helpless look, one that clearly asked, 'now what?' They knew there was something Denny was not telling them, from the evasiveness of his answers and from the way he had been acting as they had started asking him questions. But how were they going to get it out of him? Charlotte was not being much help, as she was still standing behind Liz and being uncharacteristically quiet. Kitty had tried her way, which involved pain and an indirect approach. Now Liz was going to try another way, which would involve a more direct approach. And more pain.

Sighing, Liz grabbed Denny's ear and twisted it. As he gave another unmanly yelp, Liz said, "You have at least some idea of where George is. You know it. We know it. Now are you going to be a good boy and tell us, or does this ear become my Rottweilers chew toy?" Liz neglected to mention she did not actually have a dog, much less a Rottweiler, but Denny did not know that. She rolled her eyes when she heard a noise escape Denny that, while somewhat frustrated, distinctly sounded akin to a whimper. "Oh come on, you big baby, I'm not pinching you that hard."

"Okay, fine," Denny spat. "He's still in Riverside, with Lydia. They're staying with some friends of his that he knows from town."

Liz shared a triumphant grin with Kitty, who was totally on board with this method of extracting information. Turning back to look Denny in the eye with a scowl, Liz pressed, "Where in Riverside?"

"I don't know," he grumbled, before hissing in discomfort as Liz bent his ear further. "I said I don't know! George may be my bro and all, but I don't care _that_ much. If I knew, I'd tell you."

He looked like he was telling the truth, if for no other reason than to get his ear returned to him in one piece. Liz gave a long, drawn-out sigh then glanced back at Kitty. Her apartment mate gave a nod, already having a new question at hand. "Are Lydia and George really gonna... you know, run off and elope?" As Kitty voiced it, Liz realized she was curious about this as well. This did not really seem George's style, since the boy seemed to just be out for himself. What did he get out of this? He really couldn't be in love, could he? Denny refused to meet either of their gazes and his prolonged silence definitely confirmed that something was not quite right. Kitty walked over and placed one of her shoes on Denny's already tender foot, not causing any real pain, but applying just enough pressure to let him know she meant business. "Well?"

Grimacing, Denny finally gave in. "Alright, alright! No, he's not going to marry her. He never planned to. He's just going to use her - make her get a job, saying they need money before they get married, but he was never going to get a job himself, just live off of her. And have her clean up after him and do everything for him. And he's going to nail her... a lot." The girls each made a face and Liz decided that was probably a little too much information. "He was just going to keep on going like that until he either got bored of her or broke her, making her useless. Then he was just going to move on."

"That's disgusting," Liz snapped angrily. "I can't believe he'd do that."

"Oh, he would. From what I understand, this wasn't the first time either," Denny chuckled that made her skin crawl in revulsion. "I gotta say, George is a god among men."

"Wrong company, Denny," Liz growled before letting his ear go, but not without a sharp yank that left him clasping it protectively to his head. "Let's go, guys. I don't think he has anything else useful to say."

As Liz turned to leave, she heard another thunderous stomp and a loud "OUCH!" coming from Denny, followed by Kitty's sing-song "Woopsie!" Liz mused, _Well, there goes Denny's other foot._

Closing the door behind them, the girls began walking out of the dorm building. With a frown, Liz said, "Well, we have a little more information about what a slime George is, but we still don't really know where they are."

"Maybe this will help," came Charlotte's chipper voice beside her.

Liz turned to see her friend was holding a cell phone, flipped open and scrolling through a list on it. It took her a few seconds to recognize that it was not Charlotte's phone, then realization struck. With a barely suppressed smile, Liz asked, "You took his phone? _That's_ why you were so quiet, you little thief!"

"It's not stealing, it's borrowing," Charlotte admonished with a wicked smirk. "I totally intend to give it back. Besides, this phone is _evidence_ in an ongoing investigation."

Kitty, who had been smiling with them a minute before, now had a small look of doubt crossing her features. "You don't think he's going to get back at us, do you?"

"Says the girl who just brutally interrogated an enemy prisoner?" Liz teased, and Kitty blushed slightly but was smiling again, this time proudly. "Nah, he's probably too high anyway to remember any of this. Besides, what's he gonna do? He got beat up by a few of girls, he'd probably never want anyone to know."

Laughing, Charlotte went back to scrolling through the contents of the phone. Her eyes lit up and then she showed the other two what she had found. "My my, he's calling that number an _awful_ lot, isn't he? Maybe he's in cahoots with George?"

"I don't know," Kitty said slowly as she read the number. "Could just be a girl he won't leave alone."

"But take a look at the area code," Liz said, tapping the small screen. "'951,' give you one guess as to where that is."

Not too long later, Liz, Charlotte and Kitty found themselves back at the apartment. Liz had brought her laptop out to the dining table to look up that area code, while her friend and apartment mate sat nearby. Jane had managed to convince Missy to come out and eat something at the table with them, while Mary took a nap. "What d'ya know?" Liz smirked. "It _is_ in Riverside. Not a lot to go on, but its a start."

"Now what do we do?" Kitty asked.

"Think we can go to Riverside too?" Charlotte suggested. "Help look for Lydia? Maybe-"

"No." Everyone looked over to see it was Missy who had spoken. They were all a bit surprised, because that was the most forceful Missy had been since everything had begun.

Kitty hesitated, then tried to begin, "But Missy, we-"

"I said no. I've already lost one student that was supposed to be under my care, not to mention my boyfriend being missing. I am not about to lose anymore, not today, not under my watch. You three are going to stay put and go to classes and be good, understand?" It seemed Missy was getting more of her normal spunk back as there was a bit of fire in her eyes.

"Okay, Missy, it's alright. We won't go," Liz said soothingly. The redhead seemed put at ease by her words and so went back to eating. Kitty, Charlotte and Liz all exchanged glances. Then Liz closed her laptop and took it to her room, the other two quietly followed her.

"Are we really not going?" Kitty asked in a whisper once out of earshot of Missy.

Liz shrugged, and then nodded. "We're really not. Missy's right, it'd be foolish. But," she added, a small smile playing across her lips as she pulled out her own phone, "doesn't mean we can't let Luc in on what we know. Maybe it'll help him." Liz dialed his number and let it ring a few times. It went to voicemail, which was expected since Luc was still not answering his phone. After the beep, Liz stated, "Luc, it's me Liz. Dude, you better be at least listening to these things. So, I got a phone number for you..."

* * *

"Finally," Liz hissed as the clock on the classroom wall hit 4 PM, signaling the end of her creative writing class. She slammed her text book shut, upon which she had been tapping her pencil impatiently for the past hour. Throwing it into her bag and tossing the bag over her shoulder, she muttered to Charlotte in the seat next to her, "Gotta run." Liz was out of her chair in a flash and pushing her way past the sea of students also struggling to get out of the classroom. But as eager as they were to leave, Liz was sure none of them had half as good a reason as she herself did.

"Be sure to call me later! Let me know what happens!" Charlotte's voice called after Liz to be heard over the other voices.

Turning to face her friend but still jogging backwards, she replied, "Will do, you'll be the first to know!" She was then out the door, vaulting herself over a railing and dashing back to her apartment.

It had been two days since Liz had returned from the trip with her aunt and uncle. Two days of constant phone checking, lack of sleep, and comforting and being there for her friends, especially Missy. And two days of no news whatsoever. Then Wednesday morning rolled around and Missy's phone had rung. No one else had paid it much mind at first, that is until Missy gave a shrill cry and then answered it with an half excited, half angry, "Luc! Where the hell have you been?"

The conversation had been kept short and vague. All Liz knew for certain was that Luc was finally heading home. He was just leaving Riverside as he was making the call and would be back on campus sometime around 4 PM, which made Liz's hasty escape from class understandable. As good as it was to hear that Luc would soon return, it unfortunately did not sound like he was bringing Lydia with him. The why's and how's had all been left out of the brief phone call, but Liz was going to be certain to get as much out of him as she could as soon as she could.

As one may or may not be aware, UCSC is a rather hilly campus. So when Liz attempted to run full speed half way across the campus grounds, she was quite understandably out of breath by the time her apartment was in sight. She had decided to settle for a brisk walk the last several yards through the Porter parking lot when she spotted it - Luc's car. And climbing out of the driver's seat was none other than Luc himself. Finding her second wind, Liz managed a sprint, charging directly at him and surprising him with a tackling hug that nearly sent them both toppling over.

"Nice to see you too," he greeted with a chuckle. Despite his tone, when Liz pulled away she saw that his eyes were distant and it was clear that he was still worried. Just to confirm, Liz glanced quickly into his car to make sure there was no Lydia sitting in it that she had somehow failed to miss. Sadly, she verified that Luc's car was indeed empty.

"So, what happened?" Liz asked once it was made clear that Luc was not going to volunteer any information on his own. They had begun walking back to the apartment.

"Well... not much, really. I drove all over Riverside like a crazed lunatic, not knowing where to even begin looking. I guess some part of me just hoped I would luck out and catch a glimpse of her by chance. Then I could haul her back, even if she was kicking and screaming the entire way. No such luck. All I ended up doing those two days was waste a lot of money on gas."

Clasping her hands behind her back as she walked, Liz frowned. "So, what made you decide to come back?"

"Well, my phone was getting pretty full with messages, both from you guys-"

"Maybe next time you run off and scare us all to death, you'll learn to answer your phone," Liz interjected was a wry grin.

He smiled sheepishly back, before continuing, "And from my parents as well. They were a little harder to ignore. I eventually gave in and called them back, just to let them know I was okay, but they can be rather convincing when they want their son to go back to college. Don't get me wrong, they were worried about Lydia, but they didn't want me chasing after her. I guess its bad enough stressing out over one kid. So I... _begrudgingly_ came back."

Liz nodded in understanding and then asked, "Did you get my message? About the phone number in Riverside?"

He scratched the back of curly-haired head before answering, "Uh, yeah, I got it."

"Well? Were you able to figure anything out with it?"

"Actually, no," he said slowly, stretching out the 'no' a little bit, as if in thought. "It actually was a... disconnected number."

Surprised, Liz asked, "Really? Seemed Denny was calling it a lot." Luc just shrugged in response. Puzzled, Liz was silent for a few seconds, and then decided to let it drop. Instead she asked, "What about Lydia?"

He let out a long sigh. "Well, I guess it'll be okay... it sounded like W-" he cut himself off, glancing at Liz out of the corner of his eye and clearing his throat. "Ah, it'll be taken care of, I'm sure."

Liz blinked once at him in confusion. What had he been about to say? And what kind of answer was that? "What do you mean, 'it'll be taken care of?' Luc, what's going on? What exactly-"

"Look, just take comfort in the fact that Lydia will be found soon. Soon she'll be home, happy and safe and can answer all the questions you might have."

"But-" Liz tried to begin again, but was cut off once a cry from above of "Luc!" They were now back at the apartment at the bottom of the stairs and above them at the door was Kitty. She charged down the stairs, sounding like a stampede of angry rhinos, nearly tripping twice.

She stopped just short of Luc and said, "You're really back!" Then she glanced over his shoulder, as if looking for someone. Like Liz had minutes before, it was obvious that she was confirming that Lydia was not with him and possibly just hiding behind his back. When only empty air greeted her, a slight look of disappointment crossed her features. "So, really no Lydia yet, huh?"

"Sorry, no," he smile sadly before patting her comfortingly on the head. "Cheer up, I'm sure she'll be back home soon." He began his climb up the stairs, with Kitty and Liz following behind him.

"But what about that phone number Liz left you that message about?" Kitty asked desperately.

"Oh, yah, that was a wrong number," he answered with a dismissive wave of the hand.

Liz raised an eyebrow. "You told me it was disconnected."

He paused in front of the front door, turning back to look at her. "Did I? Sorry, I meant wrong number. Just some... ah, girl. Had no idea what I was talking about."

"Maybe it was just some chick that Denny hooked up with during his basketball game," Kitty muttered, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

But Liz was not so easily swayed. There was something up, something that Luc did not want them to know. What with him contradicting himself, keeping his answers short, dodging her questions... there was more to it, Liz was sure of it. However, before she could press further, they were inside the apartment where Missy was waiting. Upon seeing her boyfriend, she let loose a shriek loud enough to be heard by their neighbor's neighbors and then threw herself upon Luc, much like Liz had earlier. However, where Liz had been unsuccessful in knocking Luc over, Missy succeeded with flying colors.

* * *

Another day went by, most of which was spent hearing Missy go from yelling Luc's ear off for worrying her so, to lovingly cooing how much she had missed him, to sobs about Lydia still being missing. It then all ended back up at the beginning, going around and around in circles. It left Liz very little time to find out more from Luc, not that she was certain she would get that much more out of him. As carefree as Luc normally was, when he set his mind to something there was no changing it. And for some reason, Luc had set his mind to leaving out some information regarding the whole Lydia situation, Liz had no doubt. But there was no use over thinking it, Luc was not going to be telling her whatever it was anytime soon.

Liz spent a majority of the next day out of the apartment. She had her art class early in the morning and then her astronomy course with Jane in the evening. The space in between was spent out and getting fresh air. She was tempted to investigate that mysterious phone number further, but Charlotte had already returned Dennys phone and Liz could not remember it off the top of her head. It was probably for the best anyway. The weather was clear and UCSC campus was beautiful, yet Liz hardly ever took a moment to enjoy it. Besides, she had been cooped up in the apartment almost all week what with the current crisis. It was good for her to get out, take a walk, and really clear her head. She found some much needed relaxation that had been lost on her the past few days, and it lasted through meeting up with Jane and the entirety of their class.

The sisters walked back to the apartment later in the early evening, laughing about a mishap that had happened during their class. The laughter was rather muted, but it still felt good as it was one of the first times they had really been able to get their mind off of Lydia since the weekend.

Upon arriving at their front door, Liz was the first in. And the first to see everyone sitting at the dining table. And the first to nod a greeting at everyone, followed by being the first to hear a perky, "Hi, Liz!"

"Oh hi, Lydia," was Liz's automatic response without even thinking. She was half way past the dining room before she realized what had just happened. She stopped mid-step, turned her head slowly and studied the people at the table, her mouth hanging open. Sure enough, there was Lydia sitting among them, smiling impishly back at her. Liz stared dumbfounded for a second, before exclaiming, "Holy crap, Lydia!" She quickly followed it up by running over and hugging the girl, practically squeezing the life out of her.

"Okay, okay, let me breathe, why don't ya?" Lydia half laughed, half wheezed as Liz let her go. She only had a split second of freedom before Jane glomped her as well, latching on like a Chinese finger trap. "Yeesh, you two are like the third and fourth person to do that since I got back. Certainly makes a girl feel loved. I gotta run away more often."

"Don't even think about it," Luc said from his seat next to her as he flicked her ear. Lydia cupped her hand over her ear and scowled back at her brother, to which he just stuck his tongue out at her. It seemed Luc was slowly returning to his old self.

Liz asked excitedly, "You have to tell me what happened, Lydia! Where'd you go? What'd you do? When'd you get back? What made you come back? I mean, we had no idea if you ever were coming back and then, all of a sudden, poof! It's like you appeared out of thin air, wha-"

"At least give me a chance to respond, geeze!" Lydia smirked before scooting her chair back and getting up to walk over to the kitchen, Liz following behind. "I'm gonna get something to drink, my throats dry. I've been talking like none stop ever since I got back, the rest are just as bad as you are." She waved her hand in the direction of the dining table. Liz glanced back to inspect 'the rest' to make sure there were no more surprises.

Next to a relaxed Luc was Missy looking the happiest Liz had seen her since everything started - maybe even since she had met her, and that was saying a lot. Then there was Kitty, for once not fidgeting with her phone, and Mary, who apparently had gotten over the excitement quickly and was nodding off in her seat, finally getting some much needed rest. Jane was taking a seat next to Mary, her grin wide enough to rival Liz's. Everyone was in much better spirits than she had seen them all week. Liz felt there should have been more yelling, something along the lines of 'How could you worry us like that?' and 'Don't you ever pull something like that again!' Maybe there had been some of that when Lydia had shown up. But really, she felt mostly relieved that Lydia was just safe and back. Besides, she was sure Lydia had probably already heard enough yelling from her parents by now anyway.

As Lydia pulled out a large soda from the fridge, Liz grabbed some cups out of the cabinet and said, "Alright, let's get you hydrated. But I want answers as soon as-" she stopped herself as she heard some noise from the bathroom down the hall. Raising an eyebrow, she glanced back at the table. Everyone that should have been there was already there - minus Charlotte, which Liz had already made a mental to call her later. She asked slowly, "Who's in the bathroom?"

The mood around the dining room table shifted slightly as everyone's grins faded a bit and they glanced between each other. Jane and Liz shared a confused look between each other. Missy spoke up, "Ah, yeah, about that. Lydia kind of brought back a friend..."

As if on cue, George Wickham rounded the corner and his eyes lighted up on spotting her. "Liz!"

Liz was stock still for a split second as she digested what had just happened, or rather _who_ had just walked into their kitchen, before anger registered on her face. With both cups she had taken from the cupboard still in hand, she flung one then the other directly at his head. The first smacked him on the forehead, to which his response was, "Wha-" before being interrupted by the second one crashing into his nose. Both cups were just plastic though, so they clattered harmlessly to the floor. George frowned and tried to begin again, "What the- oh, shit."

His last comment was due to Liz going for the toaster, unplugging it and getting ready to hurl it at him as well. Unfortunately, Lydia had stepped protectively in front of him. Double unfortunately, at some point Luc had arisen from his seat to place a hand on Liz's wrist, keeping her from throwing the toaster. Liz looked from Luc to Lydia and back again, confused.

"What the hell, Liz?" Lydia snapped, crossing her arms as George hid behind her. "God, its just George. We like George, remember? Don't flip out."

Liz blinked, then turned back to Luc and hissed, "What's going on? We most certainly do _not_ like George! Did I miss something? What's he doing here? Why aren't you beating him up or something?"

"Believe me, I wanted to, for what he was thinking about doing to my sister and for the scare he put everybody through. But... just look at him," Luc whispered, glancing over Liz's shoulder.

Rolling her eyes, Liz said, "I've seen George before. He's a slimy, piece of-"

Cutting her off, he said, "No, just take a second and _really_ look at him."

Grumbling her distaste, Liz turned to look at George again. She did not know what she was looking for... until she actually looked at him, not just throwing stuff at him. He was a mess! He had a black eye, his lip was healing for a cut that looked like it had bled pretty badly, and his nose looked slightly crooked. His hair was a scruffier mess than usual, it looked like he had a few bruises here and there, and as he turned to allow Lydia to guide him to a seat at the table, Liz saw he walked with a small limp. She cocked her head to one side, a mixture of surprise and... something else overtaking her, suppressing her initial response of anger. The second emotion almost felt like pity, but no, she could not feel pity, not for _that_. She turned back to Luc and in a calmer, hushed tone she asked, "Did you do that?"

"I wish I had, but it wasn't me."

"Then who?"

With a shrug, he said, "Lydia claims she just found him like that a little before they headed back here. He won't talk about it. But seeing the guy like that... even if he's lower than scum, it's just kind of hard to still want to pummel him further. He looks like he's been put through enough."

As much as she hated to admit it, Liz had to agree. She watched as Lydia and George joined the others at the table, and everyone began to have hesitant, awkward conversation. It was apparent that everyone else - besides Jane, since she had walked in with Liz - had known he was there as well, but they were not exactly comfortable about it. "Okay, so I see why we're not breaking him like a twig, 'cause he's already pretty much there. But I still don't see why he's even here."

"As far as I can tell, Lydia and Mom and Dad all came to some sort of agreement," Luc answered and, upon seeing that Liz seemed to have no further plan of using the toaster as an assault weapon, released her arm. He then leaned down to pick up one of the cups off the ground.

"She finally took a call from her parents? I thought she wasn't answering her phone for anyone," Liz said as she picked up the other cup.

"She's always been kind of Daddy's little girl, so it was only a matter of time before she gave in." He smiled a little wryly before adding, "Plus, there was the little matter of her trust fund involved. I'm sure one of the messages our parents left for her included cutting that off if she didn't call them back."

Liz pursed her lips, and then nodded. "Yup, I'm sure that'd do it. I don't see what that has to do with George though."

Taking the second cup from Liz, he began to pour the soda that Lydia had forgotten about into each cup. "He's part of the agreement. Lydia agrees to come back to school and not to elope anytime soon, and in return she still has a shot at her trust fund, plus she gets to keep him," he nodded in George's direction, disgust curling his lip slightly. "No accounting for taste."

"I'll say," Liz gave a soft laugh of disbelief. "But I still don't understand why George is here. What you said explains why you're all letting him be here, but this... relationship-thing is so not him. I would think he'd try to cut and run after everything he wanted to do fell through. You expect me to believe he'll just calmly sit back and play a docile boyfriend? You did hear all the stuff Denny told me about, right?"

"Yah, but I don't think he'll try anything from here on out," he answered as he took a sip from the soda, eyeing George over the brim of his cup. "Somethings got him scared, and it's not just me sending him dark looks. It'll be a long time before he tries anything dirtbag-like again, I think." He gave a small smirk, almost as if he knew something. But when Liz looked at Luc again, it was gone. "Well, shall we?" He took the drinks and gestured with them back to the table before walking back to join the others.

Liz did not follow right away, just frowned thoughtfully. Sure, she had had all her questions answered... all the puzzle pieces seemed to fit nicely together and all. And yet, there were still a few loose ends. Why was George all beat up? Was a quick phone call with her parents all that was really needed to bring Lydia back? There was more to the story, she was sure of it... but how to find out?

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Wooo, another chapter done! And only a month after the last one, not too bad, not for me anyway :P Thanks once again, for all your reviews, they are very much appreciated and keep me chugging along on this lil fic.

So, I'm sure since all you readers are avid fans of Jane Austin, so you already have an idea of what's going on behind the scenes, who's done what and all that. But don't blame Liz for being so blind, she hasn't read _Pride and Prejudice_! Oh wait, she did for her literature class... but how the heck is she supposed to know that story is mirroring her life! Would you? I wouldn't, but it would be epic if it was happening.

And I hope this chapter was good enough. I know Lydia's runaway stuff is some of your guys' least favorite parts of the story, so I hoped I handled it in a way that was tolerable, but didn't feel too rushed through.

Oh my, we're getting so close to the end, it feels weird! But next chapter we get to the best, most fun, hopefully not too cheesy parts! I'm excited, and hope you are too. I also hope I get the chapter out soon ;P Until next time!


	26. Chapter 26

_****__A/N:_ Okay, so this chapter does not have the cheesiness I promised (more on that in my note at the bottom of this chapter), but it's still fun!

* * *

Chapter 26

Over the next week, Liz had no luck in the way of finding out what it was that Luc was not telling her, despite her best attempts. She knew it involved Lydia and Denny and the whole Riverside fiasco, but any idiot could see that. Beyond that, she had nothing. Whenever she tried to ask Luc about it, he would always give that annoying shrug and equally annoying smile. He would then run off, claiming he had a class or party he was late for. Denny had made himself scarce, so he was not an option for getting any information. Besides, there was a good chance he did not know anything anyway. She could try to drag the answer out of George, but he was always with Lydia. Getting any answers out of him would be difficult enough, Liz doubted Lydia being around would make that any easier.

As the days went by and she was no closer to finding her answer than when she started, Liz found herself thinking about it less and less. It was not that she was losing interest, but with Lydia back, unharmed and acting as if nothing unusual had happened, it was getting harder to worry about it. Especially with other pressing thoughts invading her mind, such as the whole thing with Will. Although she had thought little about it while Lydia was missing, Liz was pretty sure she had just been using that as an excuse to avoid thinking about it. Now, without any other distractions to preoccupy her, curiosity and anxiety had begun eating away at her.

The last time she had seen him, they had not really gotten a chance to talk about their kiss, or anything else for that matter. She had no idea where they stood with each other. Was Will still in love with her? Or was it just some lingering feelings that just never had really been put to rest? He had not tried to call her or contact her in anyway, did that mean anything? If so, what? She had yelled at him in her state of panic, had that caused him to give up? Did he just not think her worth it any more? And what about Liz's feelings? Was she in love? Or... what? Liz just did not know, and thinking about it only confused her more.

She knew the best thing for it would be just to talk to Will, which the very idea of it both excited and terrified her. However, as she grew more restless with each passing day, she finally got up the courage to try to contact him. Normally, there would have been a problem with this, as she did not have a cell phone number or even an email address. Luckily, she remembered she had emailed Jane his house phone. After a quick dig through her sister's mailbox, she located the number, took a deep breath and dialed it, having no idea what she was going to say.

As she waited for someone on the other end to answer the phone, what little bravery she had managed to muster was quickly dwindling with each ring. She was just getting ready to hang up when an answer came at the other end. _'Hello, Darcy residence.'_

In Liz's nervous state, she did not manage to identify anything about the voice beyond the fact that it was female. "Ah, yes, hello. Can I, er... that is, is Will there?"

_'May I ask who's calling?'_ the voice on the other end asked formally.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't thinking, I... this is Elizabeth," Liz winced slightly at the use of her full first name, but it _was_ after all the name Will used when talking to her.

_'Ahhh, Miss Elizabeth. It is delightful to hear from you again.'_

Liz blinked in confusion, then finally recognized who she was speaking to. She could have smacked herself for not catching it before. It was Ms. Reynolds. For some reason realizing this calmed Liz slightly, but she did not know why - it's not like it made talking to Will any easier. "Hi, Ms. Reynolds. How are you?"

_'Fine, thank you, Dear. And yourself?'_

"I'm good. So, uh... may I speak to Will?"

_'Sorry, but he's gone out and I am not certain when he will return,'_ Ms. Reynolds informed her.

A muffled sigh escaped Liz, though whether it was of relief for not having to deal with it quite yet or frustration that she was only putting it off, she could not be certain. "That's okay, I can just call back later."

Probably having heard the sigh, Ms. Reynolds questioned curiously, _'Is there something I can help you with? Or can I take a message for you?'_

Shaking her head rapidly despite knowing the woman could not see her through the phone, Liz said quickly, "No. No, that's... er, that's fine. Like I said, I'll just, ah - just talk to him later."

_'Are you sure?'_ Liz could almost hear a smile in Ms. Reynolds voice, almost as if she had figured out what Liz wanted to talk to Will about. _'Is anything the matter? Should I at least let him know you called or-'_

Getting more flustered by the second, Liz stated, "No! That's okay, you don't have to let him know. Just... ah..." she felt her face heating up with embarrassment. For lack of being able to come up with better options, Liz finally just hung up. She immediately wanted to kick herself. _Smooth. Reeeeeal smooth._ She had just not been able to help it, what with the sense that Ms. Reynolds knew Liz's feelings better than she did.

Unfortunately, there was no undoing it now. Calling back would probably just be a repeat of this latest catastrophe. She felt the next best step would be to retreat and recuperate, form a different plan of attack... something like that. She just needed some time to relax and then she would figure out what to do. If only she had known that what was in store for her over the next few days was not so much on the relaxation side of things as it was more so on the loony side.

* * *

It was a Friday afternoon. A Friday afternoon that seemed just like any other. An unsuspecting Friday afternoon that had no idea what lurked in the shadows, waiting to ambush... no, it was not ninjas... but ninjas would have almost been preferable.

As Liz walked through the Porter quad, she dug out her notebook that she had been taking notes in for her astronomy class and began flipping through it. Today was one of the rare occasions she had actually left on time for her class, which meant she did not have to run and barrel through other students. It also meant it had cost her valuable studying time for the test today, thus she was going to cram as much in as she could on the way over to the lecture hall.

Nose thoroughly burrowed into her notebook, she failed to notice that there was someone in her walking path until she collided with his backup. Letting out a mildly startled "Oof!" and fumbling to keep from dropping her notes, she looked up to see a student she did not recognize. It was difficult to be certain since his back was to her and one cannot always recognize others when only presented with the back of their head, but Liz was fairly sure she did not know this person. Apparently she had not run into him that hard anyways, for they did not even bother to look back at her. They were too busy staring at something else. Glancing around, Liz realized that in fact there was a small crowd forming, all of which were staring curiously in the same direction and inadvertently blocking Liz's path. Sighing and mumbling, "I really don't have time for this," Liz gently pushed her way through the group of people. Once on the other side, she saw what had so fully captured their attention.

Central Porter College, in a spot between the dining hall and the main office, was a decently sized grass patch. It was a place of common commerce among the student body, where friends met up with friends, where students met up with their families when they were visiting for the weekend, and where people often liked to just lie down and stretch out in the sun on a lazy afternoon. Today, however, there was an unusual sight upon this grassy space. A black, sleek, unfathomably long limousine resided atop it. Beneath one of its tires was a scuffed up beach towel, which Liz could only assume belonged to a student who had recently sun bathing, up until said limo forced them to flee. The presence of limo seemed to be inspiring awe and wonder in the crowd that had gathered around it - if their frantic whisperings among each other were any indication - but all Liz could feel was a sense of foreboding beginning to grow in the pit of her stomach.

A man who one could only assume to be the driver, given his formal clothing, was standing ready next to the back seat door. Upon seeing Liz, he glanced questioningly at the closest window on the vehicle. Liz was not sure what answer he exactly expected, given the windows were tinted a thick, charcoal black, making them impossible to see into. However, he seemed to receive the answer he was looking for in this mysterious exchange, for he then proceeded to open the door.

Miss Catherine De Bourgh, richest women on the west coast, Her Ladyship, Her Majesty, Her Highness, Queen of All Things Stuffy and Pretentious - and a few other less than flattering titles that Liz could come up with that were not so PG - stepped out in all her glory, and regarded Liz with a cold look. "Miss Elizabeth," she stated sternly, presumably by way of greeting.

"Miss De Bourgh," she returned, amazed that she managed to keep her voice more calm than she actually felt. What was she doing here, at her school? Liz had, quite gladly, thought she would never see this woman or her haughty sneer ever again. She could not possibly be here to see Liz, could she? Yet, Liz could hardly see any other more likely reason, especially given that the woman was standing directly before her, giving her an impatient, but expectant look. A few seconds of silence past between them before Liz, at a loss for anything else to say, finally mumbled, "You know you're not supposed to park there."

Raising a thin eyebrow, Miss De Bourgh half glanced at the limo then shifted her gaze to the grass beneath her feet, a grimace crossing her face. Probably thinking she was going to have to throw away her million dollar pair of heels because they were now tainted with the residue of nature. Raising her shoulders ever so slightly, she returned blandly, "Nonsense. I can park wherever I like."

"No, really... you shouldn't be _able_ to park there, it shouldn't technically even be possible." Glancing around curiously, she continued, "I mean, they have this section blocked off, there's wooden posts to keep cars out. How did you even-"

"Miss Elizabeth," the older woman broke in authoritatively. "I did not come here to discuss where I can and cannot have my car parked. And even if I had, I most certainly would not be consulting the likes of _you_."

Liz plastered a forced, thin smile on her face to hide her annoyance. "Well... that's just dandy. Thank you for sharing. Now if you'll excuse me, I just remembered I have an exam to get to."

She began to walk past the ominous looking vehicle and its owner, but she had not put them behind her by more than a few steps before Miss De Bourgh's disdainful voice cut through the air once more. "We're not done here yet, child. I insist on having a word with you."

Liz halted and turned stiffly. "As flattered as I am that you would condescend yourself so far as to be seen talking to me, I must tell you I wasn't making an excuse. I really have a test I should be heading to, and you're making me late."

"It wasn't a request," the older woman responded, with every air of someone who has never been told 'no.' She then added, "It'll be brief. I shouldn't need more than a moment of your time."

Liz groaned and glanced at her watch. With a low growl from within her throat, she grudgingly decided to let Miss De Bourgh talk, as it would probably waste less time than if she decided to argue. "Fine, what is it?"

With a frown, Catherine De Bourgh surveyed their surroundings. Following her gaze, Liz noted they still had a fair amount of students gathered around, staring. And unless she was mistaken, she was pretty sure it had grown. "Perhaps it would be best if we did this somewhere with less of an audience."

Liz shrugged, "Whatever."

Gesturing her hand towards a spot past Liz, Miss De Bourgh stated, "I think I saw a prettyish little courtyard over there. It will do."

Rolling her eyes and remaining silent, Liz turned and walked in the direction indicated. She heard Miss De Bourgh mutter something to her driver before she began to follow her lead. The odd pair traveled the short distance in mostly silence, which was only broken by a few observations uttered randomly by Miss De Bourgh, such as, "Your campus's landscaping is adequate, I suppose, for the meager funding that is allowed to it," and "The grounds for your school are small, nothing compared to the esteemed university I attended." Liz listened without comment.

They soon entered the small courtyard, though not soon enough for Liz's tastes. It was primarily decorated with tall shoots of bamboo with the center point being a stone fountain that pooled into a mossy pond. They were alone, except for the koi fish that inhabited the pond, a few of which swam to the surface curiously as Liz came to a stop near them. She turned and faced Miss De Bourgh, crossing her arms and waited expectantly.

"I presume," her ladyship began, "that you already know why I am here."

"Haven't the foggiest," Liz replied indifferently, but without hesitation.

An almost imperceptible scowl twitched at the corner of Miss De Bourgh's lips. "You must know. How can there be any doubt in your mind?"

Sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose in impatience, Liz said, "Look. Lady. Unless you think I was born with the uncanny ability to read minds, let me assure you have I have no idea as to why you are here. So, please, enlighten me. Otherwise, feel free to waste both our times while I sit here try to divine the inner workings of your mind."

"Don't toy with me, child," the older woman snapped, a now all too visible scowl gracing her features. "Very well. In the interest of getting this unpleasant matter behind us as quickly as possible, I will elaborate. It has come to my attention that some most disgusting rumors are being spread. That you and William Darcy have been... ah, what are the young folks calling it now a-days?" She paused to put a sour twist to her lips before saying, "Hooking up?"

Liz blinked slowly a few times and had to resist the urge to openly gape. She could not, however, resist the slight blush that she felt creeping into her cheeks. She did not know which surprised her more, that Miss De Bourgh had somehow gotten that crazy idea into her head or that she had actually used the term 'hooking up.' Finally, she found her voice and managed to say, "And...?"

"And," Miss De Bourgh continued irritably, "it has to be nothing by lies and deceit. It must be! It's absurd! The very notion of a match between you and young William is impossible and _embarrassing_."

The brunette's face colored more with every word, though it was for very different reasons now than it was seconds ago. Eyes flashing dangerously, Liz answered, "As flowery and delightful as your opinion is - and trust me, it has really made my day - I still fail to see why you are here."

She glared at Liz, then, as if she were speaking to a six year old, went on to explain deliberately, "I am here because I want - no, demand that you tell me that this obscene claim is not true."

With a sardonic smirk, Liz began to study her nails and responded with a lack of interest, "You've already said it was impossible. If you said it, it _must_ be true."

"I need to hear it from you, you stupid girl. Tell me this instant that there is not any sort of intimate relationship between you two."

Cocking her head to one side, Liz eyed the older woman curiously. When she did not respond right away, it was quite obvious that irked Miss De Bourgh. Liz gave another tight lipped smile before finally stating, "You came an awful long way just to ask me that. Why didn't you just ask Will?"

"Do not presume to refer to _him_ in so friendly a manner. You will call him by his given name, William, and nothing less," Miss De Bourgh hissed before taking a few seconds to smooth her ruffled feathers. Having regained some of her composure, she continued in a cooler tone, "Not that it is truly any of _your_ concern, but I was unable to get in touch with young William. I was visiting his home up in the mountains - dreadful little shack, he really should sell it - but I have not seen him for some days now. And he would not return my calls."

"No, really? I'm shocked that _Will_," she drew out the one syllable name to an ungodly length, watching as the other woman flinched in agitation, "wouldn't return your calls. I mean, youre such a joy to talk to!" Before the full impact of Liz's remark sunk in, she asked, "Where did you even hear about this?"

Taking a brief second to purse her lips indignantly, Miss De Bourgh responded, "I overheard the maid speaking with Miss Georgiana Darcy. They were saying such abominable things, speculating over some call the maid had just received and even going so far as to _hope_ for a match between you and William. Really, they should watch their tongues of such idle prattle. If I have my way, the useless housekeeper will be fired for spreading such filth and the young Miss Darcy will be shipped off to boarding school for encouraging her."

Anger flaring in defense of her friends, Liz shot back, "You'll do no such thing. If you even so much as look at Ms. Reynolds or Giana wrong, I'll..." she paused, checking herself. Then a small, ever so slightly cruel smirk spread across her lips. "Well, suffice it to say, cruel and unusual punishment has nothing on my own special brand of vigilante justice."

Eyeing Liz up and down a bit distastefully, her lip twitched. "I'm... sure."

"And so, after eavesdropping on Giana's and Ms. Reynold's conversation - which, might I add, most high class individuals find rude, but thankfully you're not one of them - you decided to track me down, eh?" Liz snorted. "Well then, if anything, you coming all the way down here is more of a confirmation that you believe Will and I could have, as you put it, 'hooked up.' It almost feels like you expected to find Will here with me, limbs entangled in each other, locked in a steamy, passionate-"

"That's quite enough, you little tart," the woman interrupted with a growl. Liz was amused by this. _First time I've been called that. Kinda classy actually, I like it._ "I will not have you disgrace young William or my daughter with that foul mouth of yours."

"Your daughter?" Liz asked, pure confusion filling her voice.

"Yes, my daughter. The two of them are engaged to be married, and I will not have you spreading these lies that you and William are-"

"Me?" Liz cut her off angrily. "You think I'm the one telling everyone that Will and I-"

"Who else?" Miss De Bourgh snapped, infuriated by being interrupted herself. "Who else would have the most to gain from it besides a harlot like you, looking above herself and trying to get her greedy little hands on young William's wealth? Do you deny you are the one spreading these stories?"

Liz clamped her mouth shut, stopping a biting reply in its tracks. Instead, with a wicked gleam in her eyes, she responded, "Well, if it was me, you can hardly expect me to admit it." _Let the stupid old crone think what she wants,_ Liz mused. _Besides, the less information I give her, the crazier it will drive her._

Indeed, Miss De Bourgh looked barely seconds away from throwing a tantrum, of the rich-old-lady variety. "I will not have you dishonor the betrothal between my daughter and young William this way."

"I'm sorry, I must have missed the giant diamond ring on your daughter's finger. Oh wait..." Liz tapped a finger slowly to her chin, as if in thought. "_That's_ right, there wasn't one."

This caused her ladyship to pause for a moment as she looked away briefly. There was still an edge in her voice when she finally responded, "That goes into matters far beyond you, girl, so I would tread carefully if I were you. But I will have you know that while there has been no proposal as of yet, at least not in the traditional method, it was a desire fondly shared between William's mother and me since their birth. If their marriage were not to take place, it would be _most_ disappointing and distressful to me."

"Oh, you poor baby, you're so abused," Liz stated mockingly. "However, I could care less."

"You dare go against the my wishes and the wishes of William's deceased mother to-"

"And I'm sure," Liz kept her from finishing her sentence once more, "that Will's mother is rolling over in her grave, the way you so cheaply keep using her name just to get what you want."

Miss De Bourgh's nostrils flared to an alarming size. "What I want? No, not just what I want, William and my daughter Anne long for this union as well. They are in love. I do this for them."

Chuckling softly, Liz asked, "Really? They 'long' for this? There in 'love?' Let me ask you something: do you ever pay any attention to anyone else besides yourself? I doubt it, because if you did, you would notice they are not in love, they don't even seem to particularly like each other. I don't think I saw them say one word to each other back in December. Have you ever asked Will his feelings on the matter? Can you honestly tell me that you truly think there is any sort of lovey-dovey feelings going on between those two?"

"Miss Elizabeth," she began with a growl, but was not quick enough to get anymore out.

"That's wasn't a no," Liz pointed out in a sing-song. "Besides, if Anne really does care, why are you the one here, and not her? Where is she anyway? No wait, let me guess: back home, playing video games with a blank look on her face. I can almost picture the tiniest bit of drool trickling out of the corner of her mouth."

The older woman visibly stewed for a few second. "Miss Elizabeth," she began again, a tad more icily this time, "I ask you to tell me, once and for all, are you in any way romantically involved with young William?"

There was a brief silence between them, as each tried to stare the other down. Finally, too annoyed to drag this out any longer, Liz finally responded with a steely, "No."

The smallest of smug smiles tugged at the corner of Miss De Bourgh's lips. It was enough to make Liz inwardly shudder and wish she had not given her this small victory. "Excellent. Now, give me your word that you will never see or speak with William again, and we can finally put this whole wretched ordeal behind us."

Liz stared back, wide eyed and dumbfounded. Was this woman serious? With such a ridiculous request, there was no way she could be. And yet, Miss De Bourgh gazed back at her, awaiting an agreement that she seemed so sure of getting.

"No," Liz said a second time, only more resolute and triumphant. She was only too happy to disappoint.

Miss De Bourgh was visibly shocked at this answer. Her eyes narrowed slowly before asking sharply, "No?"

"You heard me," Liz crossed her arms and stood steadfast, daring the other woman to argue. When Miss De Bourgh still seemed at a loss for words, Liz questioned, "Do I need to spell it out for you? No. N. O. Negatory. Never. Nyet. Nein. Nu uh. I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request. No way. Not in a million years. Not even if-"

"That is quite enough," Miss De Bourgh snapped. Her coal eyes pierced her with a glare, and she began to pace slowly, regally in a wide circle around Liz. "Stupid, spoiled girl. Youre determined to lay claim to him then."

Liz's eyebrows shot up on her forehead. "Uh, no. I think you may have gotten me mistaken with yourself."

As if she had not spoken, the older woman continued, "You will not rest until you've sunk your greedy, little claws into him."

"See, I never said that, maybe you should have your ears checked? Just because I refuse to agree to your ludicrous request to fall off Will's radar, does not mean I plan to mercilessly pursue him like some piece of meat." As Liz spoke, Miss De Bourgh was slowly closing in on her and despite herself, her feet inched backwards to keep some distance between her and that old crone.

"If you have no designs on young William, then I do not see why you cannot consent to this one, simple thing I ask for. Surely you cannot deny me this minuscule request."

"I can, and I will," Liz responded more hotly than she intended. She was not sure if Will would even notice if she just vanished one day, given their lack of seeing each other anytime recently. However, what Miss De Bourgh was suggesting incensed her, more than she probably realized. The older woman's frown deepened as she continued her measured advance on Liz and Liz continued to back away. "Come on, really, what did you expect?" She asked exasperatedly. "That if I fall of the face of the planet, that Will will just completely forget about me and finally show interest in Anne? That once he finds out youre the one who chased me off, he'll be overjoyed and cry, 'Why, Catherine De Bourgh! I didn't know you cared so much! How can I ever repay you? I know, I'll go have hot monkey sex with your daughter!'"

Suddenly, there was no more room behind Liz as she came to an abrupt stop. Glancing down, she saw she had backed into the stony edge of the koi pond, which came up to her mid calf. Moving any further back would require some big steps and getting her shoes quite soggy, which she was not quite desperate enough to do yet. Looking up again, she now saw she was practically nose to nose with Miss De Bourgh, and she could see quite clearly that she was getting on this woman's nerves. It almost gave her second thoughts about fleeing into the pond. However, Miss De Bourgh's frown soon melted into a calculating, but one hundred percent fake smile. "I understand now, Miss Elizabeth," she purred. "I know what you are after, it's so clear to me now." She began to reach into her purse as she asked, "How much?"

Liz stared back, a blank and unblinking look on her face. "For what? My sarcasm is free of charge."

"For you to disappear? Make you go away?" She pulled out a slim check book and glossy, black pen which she clicked in a decisive, business-like manner. "How much money would it require for you to cut off any sort of acquaintance with young William forever?" Liz's jaw dropped, stunned into silence. As Miss De Bourgh began to scribble something into the check book, she stated indifferently, "Come, come, child, I haven't got all day. Name your price, you'll find me to be very reasonable."

Unable to stand another second of it, Liz slapped the checks from Miss De Bourgh's hand, sending them sprawling on the pebbled walkway at their feet. Miss De Bourgh frowned angrily at Liz, but Liz's scowl easily rivaled it. "Miss De Bourgh," she evenly began through gritted teeth, for once attempting to keep her temper under control and her answer mature, "neither I, nor how I spend my time, and who with, can be bought. Not by anyone, but especially not by the likes of you. You've insulted me in every way possible, including name calling, blaming me for these rumors, trying to get me to sell out, and considering me beneath you, beneath even the dirt under your shoe. I'm sure given enough time, you'd have no problem finding even more ways provoke me. If you even believe half the things you have implied about me, I'd be seriously inclined to think you either did not receive enough love as a child or were dropped on the head one too many times as a baby. Maybe both. In any case, I almost have half a mind to track down Will to seduce and ravage him senseless, just to piss you off, you crazy, stuck-up, batty, stupid old hag!"

Well, at least she had managed to keep a level-head for a majority of it.

Eyes practically bulging in her fury, Miss De Bourgh snarled, "Why, you- you ill mannered, gold-digging little leech! How dare you!"

With the speed of a viper, she raised her hand to strike Liz across the face. However, Liz was faster at dodging out of the way. Now hitting nothing but air, the force behind Miss De Bourgh's swing threw her off balance and sent the older woman flying into the koi pond. A monstrous splash drenched the surrounding pavement and plants, and Liz had to hold up a hand to shield herself from the incoming droplets.

As Liz lowered her hand once more to survey the result, she could hardly contain the laugh bubbling up inside of her. Miss De Bourgh sat in the pond, soaked, with a few koi fish nibbling inquisitively at her coat as she tried desperately to stand up. However, all she was doing was managing to slip repeatedly and get water in more places she probably preferred not to. "Why, I never-" she spluttered, spat out a chunk of algae that had found its way into her mouth, then continued, "_never_ have been treated so poorly! You rude, despicable little wretch! Your school will be notified immediately!"

"Go ahead. I'm sure they'll be very curious to find out why some loony old lady who is not even supposed to be on campus is romping around their beloved and highly cherished koi pond," Liz chuckled. She had - very briefly - been considering helping her 'Ladyship' out of the fountain, but that silly notion had quickly evaporated from her thoughts.

"Your parents will hear about this! They will be absolutely _ashamed_ of what a disgraceful child you are!"

Watching Miss De Bourgh's runny makeup stream down her face, Liz was finding it very difficult to be afraid. "I doubt you'll waste your precious, precious time tracking them down. Even if you did, they'll probably think the same as me: that a whacko like you belongs in a straight jacket."

"You'll regret this, you mangy trollop! Just you wait, I'll have your head on a platter and-"

"Yeah, yeah, you will be revenged, blah, blah, blah," Liz mimed a yammering mouth with her hand. Glancing over her shoulder, she could still catch a glimpse of the limo in the main quad. "By the way, you may want to check on your ride. It seems like campus security is checking it out, and I'm sure they'd love to know who to slap the parking ticket with since, you know, you have your huge ass car parked where its not supposed to be."

Taking a look at her watch, Liz muttered, "Shit. I'm way late for my test now." She brightly beamed back up at the soggy Miss De Bourgh. "Well, this has been fun, we should do it again some time. Don't call me, I'll call you. Hate to run, but don't worry, BFF and all that jazz. Ciao!" And with that, she began to sprint to her class. She had to put some distance behind her before the incoherent howls of Lady Catherine De Bourgh faded off into nothingness.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Yah, Lady Catherine in a fountain! More fics should have one of those :D

Anyhoo, so, I promised some cheesiness this chapter, and but it's not here! Where'd it go, you ask? Well! I was writing this chapter, and it originally went quite a bit further past this point where I decided to stop. Then I realized it was getting really long. Long enough to turn it into two chapters! Plus, I'm still not to the point where I originally intended to stop with this chapter, so if I waited until I got there, then you would have had to wait even ilonger/i for it to come out. So, I decided this was a good stopping point and to get a chapter out, since you have all been waiting so wonderfully and so patiently. Thank you, my ever faithful reviewers!

Now, next chapter (or, unofficially, second half of this chapter) is actually not too far from completion either. I hope to have it out by next week! Yay! Until then-


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The next morning came. Well, early afternoon, but morning as far as Liz was concerned as she had only woken up a few minutes beforehand. Since she had no classes on Saturday, she very much enjoyed sleeping well into lunch time and beyond on her weekends.

And boy, she had never needed that extra time to sleep as much as she did now. She had arrived to her test the evening before, nowhere near on time. The professor had not been happy about her late appearance, but begrudgingly handed her a copy of the exam anyway, making it abundantly clear she would not be getting any extra time on the test to make up for her tardiness. It would not have helped anyway. She could hardly concentrate on filling out the spaces provided for answers, not with her recent encounter with the esteemed and almighty Catherine De Bourgh still fresh, buzzing around in her mind like an angry hornet that Liz just could not squash. In the end, she handed in a less than satisfactory test, with half the answers barely legible, and the other half just random, smashed together phrases she vaguely recalled having read from her text book. She was pretty sure that, at best, she was looking at a D. This only had added fuel to the frustration fire, and the memory of De Bourgh looking like a drowned rat was only a slight consolation. When she had returned to the apartment, she had talked to no one, went straight to her room, and crashed landed into her bed for an early night. It was only now, as she padded her way into the bathroom after a fitful night of sleep, that her nerves had calmed and the raging inferno within her had been replaced with a dull, but welcome sense of numbness.

She yawned at the mirror as she squirted some toothpaste onto her toothbrush. As she went to work getting rid of her morning breath, her ears perked at the sound of murmured voices elsewhere in the apartment. Feeling particularly sociable while foaming at the mouth with toothpaste, Liz opened the door and meandered out of the bathroom and into the hall. She turned the corner into the dining room and then came to a screeching halt. She blinked a few times at what she saw - or rather, who.

Mary was sitting at the dining room table, bent over and scribbling on what looked like a sheet of musical notes. But obviously that was not so surprising, seeing as Liz saw her every day. No, what was now causing Liz to cock her head to the side in wonder was who Mary was sitting with. Hershey. Or rather, Matthew. Crystal's Matthew. Matthew, who Liz had vowed to free of Crystal's evil grasp. Matthew, who had been whisked away by Crystal to some mysterious place several months prior and who Liz had thought, until now, would still be at said mysterious place - not in her apartment, eating Frosted Flakes, holding what seemed to be a very pleasant conversation with Mary.

How did the two even _know_ each other?

All this went through her head and took a few seconds to process, given Liz's still groggy brain. The other two did not seem to notice her as they continued their work at the table. Finally, Liz managed to get out, "Matthew!" Except, with a mouthful of toothpaste and her toothbrush hanging out, it came out more like, "Math-foo!"

They both looked up at her. Matthew grinned at her and said, "Hello, Liz. Long time no see."

Liz was about to respond when a snicker cut her off. She shot a quick glance at Mary who was shyly hiding a grin behind her hand as she stared at Liz. The brunette suppressed a scowl as it just now clicked that she must look like an escapee from a mental institution with rabies. Waving hastily at Mary, quietly ordering her friend to settle down, Liz turned to the kitchen and borrowed the use of its sink to quickly clean up. _What's going on?_ Liz wondered as she washed her mouth out. Briefly she glanced at her toothbrush which she had placed on the counter. _Did someone spike my toothpaste?_ Drying her face on her sleeve, she turned with a broad smile. "Well hi, Matthew! Yes, it has been a while... too long. Excuse my appearance, I didn't know Mary had company, much less that it was you."

Having a real first good look at him, Liz could see that overall not much had changed. His black hair was still a mess and all over the place. He was still as white as a sheet, though maybe it could be considered off-white now, as he did appear to have gotten a little sun. There was no longer entirely clad in an uncomfortable-looking leather costume - though he did still sport a black choker around his neck. Instead, he wore some baggy black pants - which had a liberal amount of buckles - and a t-shirt that proudly bore what look to be some death-metal's band's logo that Liz did not recognize. There was also something else... Liz couldn't quite put her finger on what was the source of it, but Matthew seemed to look... healthier, maybe? Definitely happier, at the least.

His thin lips grinned a little wider as he said, "You're probably wondering what I'm doing here."

"I was running through some possibilities, yes," Liz admitted. "Currently, I'm debating if the table is magical. People just keep showing up at it that aren't supposed to. First Lydia, now you..." She tapped her lower lip thoughtfully, before adding almost to herself, "Wonder if we can harness the table's power to get Johnny Depp in here."

"Keep dreaming, Liz," Mary teased with a small smirk.

"I'm also wondering how you two know each other," Liz asked, staring at Mary pointedly while taking a seat at the table with them. As far as she could recall, the two never and run into each other. They had been at the Halloween party at the same time, but that was ages ago now and Matthew had spent most of it locked in his room. "Also," Liz added, glancing around and noticing that something was mysteriously, although pleasantly, absent, "where's Crystal? She normally keeps you on a short leash, so I'm almost shocked she's not around. Not that I'm complaining..."

Matthew nodded. "That's probably the best place to start anyway. I broke up with her."

Liz's lips formed a small 'o' by way of silent surprise. Then a slow smile formed as she said slowly, "I don't know which is more amazing, that you two broke up, or that _you_ are the one that broke up with her. No offense, of course."

"None taken, I completely understand," he waved his hand dismissively. He then continued sheepishly, "I did have a tendency of letting her walk all over me. I just decided that I couldn't take it anymore."

"Alright, go Matty!" Liz said, raising her hand for a high-five, which he tentatively answered - he seemed unaccustomed to such a foreign concept as a high-five.

"Thanks. Although, to be fair, I had a little help..." At Liz's questioning look, he answered, "Will talked to me."

Liz raised an eyebrow, intrigued. She also ignored the slight jump she felt in her chest at hearing his name, as now was not the time. "So... Will told you to break up with Crystal?"

He shook his head, his sporadic hair bouncing wildly. "No, not exactly... it was weird. Will and I hardly ever spoke before... mainly because Crystal hardly let me speak to anyone beside her, but also there was never really a need to. Will and I really did not have much to talk about. But then, a few days ago, he stopped by the apartment. I think he had come to talk to Charlie, but he was out. Everyone was out except for me... Crystal and Carol were out at a club or something.

"When I told him to try back later, he seemed like he was about to leave. But then, he got this... I don't know, this thoughtful look, I guess. And he just started talking to me... about my relationship with Crystal. I was surprised, but it wasn't nosy... or invasive or anything, just talking. We actually ended up discussing it for a while, whether I was happy or - well, it came down to me saying that I was sticking around because we, Crystal and I, were in love... and because I really had nowhere else to go." He admitted the second part in a slightly hushed, ashamed tone. "But then I realized we weren't really in love, not at least for a long time now, if ever. And that she had been the one that made it so I was so dependent on her. She had never really being looking for a boyfriend so much as a... a slave, or a dog."

"I coulda told you that," Liz muttered with a wry twist of a smirk.

He returned it with a dry grin. "I think I always knew, just didn't want to admit it. And was always afraid of the consequences if I ever tried to leave her. But, talking to Will, he just... made it so clear to me what I had to do, I suppose. I broke up with Crystal the minute she came walking back through the door."

"Geeze, sudden. How'd she take it?"

"I swear her chin nearly hit the floor. I almost felt bad about it upon seeing the look in her eye." At Liz's quirk of an eyebrow, he added, "I didn't though, not after everything. I'm not about to apologize for not wanting to be her pet minion anymore. Besides, small amount of guilt I may have felt was quickly obliterated when she followed it by giving an indifferent shrug, taking a seat on the couch, and opening a magazine. Taking that as her official dismissal, I left."

With a snort, Liz could easily picture the scene. Despite Crystal's stoic air, Liz could bet the girl had been seething on the inside. Probably wondering where she was going to get any one ever again willing to wait on her hand and foot. "And then you came here?"

"Yeah, Will gave me a ride. My parents live here. It had, er... been a long time since I last spoke to them, as I bet you could imagine. It was a difficult conversation, but... bridges are on their way to being mended, so to speak. And I'm going to go back to college here at UCSC, finish that degree in theatre I was working on."

"That's wonderful, good for you!" Liz beamed genuinely at him. She then eyed Mary, who had been sitting by quietly for the past few minutes. "Now we come back to you, and how you two know each other."

It was hard to detect, but Liz was certain the slightest hint of a blush touched Mary's cheeks. The girl looked down at the table as she said, "It's not really that interesting..."

Scratching the back of his neck, Matthew explained, "Well, it had been a long time since I had been out, what with Crystal keeping me under lock and key, ya know? So I was wondering around, getting reacquainted with downtown, looking for good spots to sit, relax, finally get some real work done on my plays... and I had remembered that Will had suggested a coffee place that he thought I should check out-"

"Bad Ass Coffee," Liz said almost automatically as the name came to her with realization.

Surprised, he nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's the one."

"That's where Mary plays her guitar all the time..." was all Liz offered by way of explanation. She said it distractedly as her mind began to follow a different track. _Will had suggested...?_

Mary nodded in confirmation. "And I was performing when he came in."

"I was an instant fan," Matthew stated with a broad grin. This time, there was no doubt about the blush that consumed Mary's face, and it was apparent that the feeling was mutual. "I had been thinking about working on a musical or two, and I thought her style of music would work perfectly. So I struck up a conversation with her as soon as I could."

Resting her chin against her hand, Liz flashed them an impish look. "I'm sure you two will make sweet music together."

"I- It's not like that!" Mary said quickly, but the way she got flustered begged to differ.

Winking slyly, Liz responded, "Sure it ain't."

"_Liz!_ Don't make me hit you!" Mary raised a tiny fist at her, which was probably supposed to be threatening. It was anything but. Matthew just smirked bashfully and shrugged at Liz.

Liz could not help but laugh. Mary and Matthew? An unlikely pairing indeed. But the more she thought about it, the more perfect they seemed for each other - in an odd sort of way. But what she was more curious in Will's whole role in this matter. Had it all been just a coincidence? Bad Ass Coffee was probably just a coffee shop he had liked and had just off-handedly suggested it to Matthew. He could not possibly have known Mary would be there at the exact right time, and that the two of them would hit it off. It all was just some strange twist of fate... it had to be, right?

* * *

"They really do make a cute couple," Jane giggled before settling into a smile that crinkled her nose delicately. "Odd... but cute."

"Technically, they're not a couple," Liz answered as the sisters walked along. "At least, not according to Mary."

With a slightly dreamy glint to her eye, Jane cooed, "Oh, but it's only a matter of time. And they make so much sense too, I don't know why I didn't see it before. Him writing the plays, her composing the music for them... and they're both a little kooky, but just the right amount for each other. I'm so happy for them." She lightly clapped her hands together.

It was now late afternoon. She had met up with Jane, who unlike her sister was an early riser and having been up long before Liz awoke, had been out and about all morning. Having had a lot fall into her lap over the past couple days, Liz had decided she and her twin needed to do some catching up. They were still on campus, but they were on their way to the nearest bus stop so they could head into downtown for food, catch a movie, and just chat. She had already filled Jane in on the details of Mary's and Matthew's friendship-maybe-something-more type thing. Jane, ever the supporter of happy endings of all shapes and sizes, was ecstatic.

"I'm happy too," Liz said with a crooked little grin. "I mean, it has to be a good sign at least that their relationship is not starting out with some crazy old battleaxe yelling at them at how disgusting the idea of them being together is."

"I still can't believe that Miss De Bourgh said all those nasty things to you!" Jane stated in disbelief. Liz had obviously told her about that pleasant little visit as well.

Liz shrugged. "Mneh, I'm over it mostly. Tough skin and all. Plus, it does help that I'll forever have the image, held near and dear to my heart, of Miss De Bourgh taking a swan dive into the koi pond."

"I'm sure that made quite a sight," Jane chuckled. They had arrived at the bus stop and she took a seat on the bench. "Although... Liz, you're my twin, and you know I love you death, so you can tell me anything... are you sure you didn't-"

"Geeze, Jane, no!" Liz gave a short laugh. "How many times do I gotta say it? I did not push Miss De Bourgh. I know I have a reputation for losing it, but I swear I held my temper in check this time. Well... most of the time... at least 90... er, 80 percent of the time. The point is, you'd have been proud of me, the only thing I'm guilty of is dodging when she took a swing at me."

"Alright," she said in an unconvinced tone, but then laughed when Liz frowned at her. "Alright, I believe you. I never met this lady, but she does sound crazy and rather mean."

"Go, Jane. I think that's one of the most negative things I've heard you say about anyone. We'll break through that hard, sugar-coated candy exterior yet," Liz teased.

The blonde gave her sister a light, playful kick in the shin. "Well, she had to have been. Her meanness aside, I am still surprised she thought there could be something between you and Will. She has to be a little not right in the head to have ever believed that."

Liz gave a "Heh" by way of a soft, half-hearted laugh. "Well, yah, but... it's not so insane of a thought." Liz was confused at the slight twinge of hurt she felt at Jane's statement, but more so, she felt guilt. She had yet to tell Jane everything that had happened at Rosings Park, or the letter. She had managed to leave a lot of the juicier details out of her trip to Will's home barely a few weeks before. Looking down at her shoes as she scuffed them against the sidewalk, she wondered if maybe it was time Jane heard about it all.

"Yeah right, Liz. You've _hated_ the guy since the day you met him."

"I wouldn't say 'hated' exactly..." she muttered, barely audible.

Not having heard her, Jane continued, "And I never really saw him show any interest in you. What was it he said about you at that first college party? That you were a wasted halfwit shoving your tongue down guys throats or something?"

Cheeks coloring slightly, Liz mumbled, "Something like that... he was probably just in a bad mood though..."

Jane rose from her seat as she spotted a bus coming around the corner, getting ready to pull up to the stop. "Anyway, that Miss De Bourgh woman could not have picked pair who disliked each other more. You and Will getting together- no, you and Will even going on so much as a date together is no more likely than Will himself walking off this bus right this second."

Liz and Jane would later laugh for some time to come over her poor - or maybe a better term would be 'accurate' - choice of words while the bus came to a complete stop. As if on cue, the doors snapped open and, as Liz whispered, "Speak of the Devil," Will Darcy came walking off the bus.

He glanced around at first, possibly memories of when he was last on campus going through his head, before his eyes fell on Liz. He went stock still except for a few strands of his golden hair swaying in a breeze, staring at her with wide eyes on an otherwise expressionless face. It was safe to say there was a mutual bit of shock between them.

A tiny, almost strangled gasp from Jane finally drew Liz's attention away, and it did not take her long to realize what had startled her sister. Charlie had come off the bus not too far behind Will, pausing briefly upon spotting Jane before dragging his eyes away and fidgeting, apparently not quite knowing what to do with himself. And right behind him came-

"Giana!" Liz wheezed as Will's little sister knocked the air out of her lungs with hug that was more of an affectionate tackle.

"Liz! I can't believe it, you're here, what great timing! I was hoping we'd run into you, it's been too long!" Giana exclaimed excitedly, pulling away and beaming at Liz.

Laughing, Liz responded bemusedly, "It hasn't been _that_ long, you weirdo. What are you guys doing here?"

"I'm going to be starting college next Fall, so I was taking a look at my options, doing some campus tours, riding buses, seeing classrooms, getting a feel for the whole college life experience, you know? But UCSC was top on my list, 'cause Will went here and _obviously_ cause you're here. I think it'd be a blast doing college together. Plus, it's close to home, and I wouldn't want Ms. Reynolds to get lonely." She clasped a hand to her mouth as she suddenly remembered something. She went on in a guilty tone, "Oh Liz, I'm so sorry about Miss De Bourgh! If she hadn't over heard me and Ms. Reynolds, she never would have come to yell at you. I hope she didn't bother you too much."

Blushing, Liz's eyes flickered almost involuntarily to Will for a brief second. He was no longer staring at her and now seemed determinedly intent on studying the landscape. How much did he know about what had happened with Miss De Bourgh? Obviously, he knew there had been some sort of visit, since Giana was talking about it. But did he know what it was about? Did he know what Ms. Reynolds and Giana had been talking about that had spurred on her Ladyship's wrath? Did he know what Liz had told Miss De Bourgh? Suppressing the butterflies she felt rising in her stomach, Liz said quickly, "That's okay, Giana, nothing to be sorry about. She's just a crazy old lady that has nothing better to do than hassle kids and jab sticks at puppies."

Chuckling, Giana responded, "I know, right? I _hate_ that woman, I wish she would stop coming around and stop trying to order Will around. She only barely knew our parents like a really long time ago, its not like our families were ever really all that close." In a quieter, more conspiratorial voice, she added, "I don't think she has any real friends, so she just attaches herself to us like an icky ol' tick."

Liz let out another laugh at that. "Yeah, she's definitely quite the annoying little bloodsucker."

"What are you guys up to?" Giana asked brightly. "Do you want to accompany us while I'm shown around the campus?"

Biting her lower lip, Liz glanced at the bus. It was still there, waiting as a boy that had just exited out of it was taking his yellow polka-dotted bike off the rack in front, so they still had a very short amount of time. She began slowly, "Well, Jane and I kind of had plans downtown. Jane is..." she glanced to the spot where her sister had been standing previously, but was now curiously empty. Blinking, she turned her head and saw Jane had joined Charlie. They were not really talking much or even really looking at each other, just mostly staring at their feet bashfully.

"H-how have you been?" Charlie attempted, glancing up at Jane, but looking quickly away when their eyes met for a brief second, his cheeks becoming noticeably redder.

"Alright," Jane answered softly. For the most part, she appeared calm. The only thing that gave her away was her fingers, which kept fluttering over a ring on her other hand, twisting it back and forth. Only Liz and Giana could see this, as Jane had her hands clasped behind her back. "And you?"

"Swell," he answered a tad overly cheerful. Then it seemed the two had exhausted all topics already, for they went quiet. Liz could however feel there was so much more that just was not being said.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Giana shaking her head exasperatedly at her brother. Will just gave a small, almost imperceptible shrug in answer. Liz wondered at this exchange, but was not given that much time before Jane was saying, "It was wonderful seeing you again. But the bus-"

"Of course! Of course, we wouldn't want you to miss it," Charlie said quickly, embarrassment coloring his face more for having detained them.

The boy with the bike had finished retrieving it and was now standing off to one side, checking the voicemail on his cell. The bus was getting ready to depart. As Jane glanced at Liz, she nodded then turned to Giana again. "We really should be going. We kind of have a movie to catch. However, if you want to meet up for food later, that'd be cool."

"Awesome! Let me give you my phone number." While Jane held the bus, the two girls exchanged their numbers. Then, waving at Giana, she made her way towards the bus. She spared one last glance Will's way, but he now seemed to be deep in conversation with Charlie and did not even seem to notice that she was leaving. Liz frowned unhappily, confused. Here she had been stressing over Will, their last meeting, if he still felt the same way or had she ruined it. She had expected him to react in almost anyway, from happiness to anger to disgust to uncertainty... anything, except this. Will just... did not seem to care. It was like they were strangers. Liz did not know what to do, and even if she did, it was not like she had time to do it - Jane was waiting on the bus for her.

Sighing, she climbed the steps, hearing the doors swing to a shut behind her. There were no seats left open on the bus, so she joined her sister towards the back, standing and supporting themselves with the overhead rails. The bus pulled away from the stop and she watched as Charlie and the Darcy siblings quickly slid out of view.

Silence passed between them for a few seconds. Then, letting out another heavy sigh, she looked at Jane. "So...?"

Needing no further explanation, Jane said, "I'm fine. Charlie and me- we're fine. I honestly never thought I would see him again, but I was nervous of the possibility of it ever happening. It ended up not being so bad. And after seeing him again, I know everything is going to be okay. If he's with Will and his sister later when we meet for food, I know I can handle it. Maybe we can even be friends in the long run."

Placing her free hand on her hip, Liz asked skeptically, "Friends? Really?"

"Yes, friends. What, you didn't expect us to get back together did you?" At Liz's pointed look, she laughed, though it was a weak one. "Please, Liz, that's over and done with. He's moved on, I've moved on."

Liz gave her a sour smirk. "BS. That's crap, and you know it. You still have a thing for him, and he for you, you gotta sense it, right?" Jane eyed her sister dubiously, although there was the tiniest spark of hope. Liz pressed her lips together into a thin, thoughtful line. Maybe she needed to give Jane the full story a little early - like right now. About Charlie's and Jane's ambiguous break up, Will's part in it, Charlie's behavior while apart from Jane... she took a deep breath to begin. "Listen, Jane, I know for a fact that he's still crazy about you. He hasn't moved on, he-" she lost her voice as she was struck dumb for a second, staring past Jane. "... he's right outside the window."

"What?" Not sure she had heard right, Jane turned. There, riding alongside the bus on a yellow polka-dotted bike, was Charlie. The bus was not going all that fast, given they were still on the slow, winding roads of campus. But it could not have exactly been cake either keeping up, not if Charlie's puffy breathing was any indicator. One hand on the handle bar, he used his other to bang on the window. He was yelling something, and Liz noticed by the shape of his lips, it suspiciously looked like the word he was forming was 'Jane'. Other students riding the bus were snickering at the display.

"Oh my g-" Jane began, before pushing her way to the window, wedging herself in front of the people seated next to it, and getting it open as quickly as possible.

"Jane!" Charlie could finally be heard. Liz's suspicions had been confirmed. Maybe she had a future in reading lips.

"Charlie?" Jane called back, surprise and confusion filling her voice.

"Jane! I need to talk to you!"

She leaned out the window, glancing as the road blurred past beneath the wheels of the bus, her blond hair whipping around her face. "...now?"

"Yes! If I don't talk to you now, I might chicken out again, like back at the bus stop. Jane, I-" he swerved out of the way to avoid a yield sign, Jane stifling a tiny shriek as he did so. He pumped at the peddles harder in order to catch up again, and Liz noted that he was riding the bike that the other student getting off the bus had had. She wondered briefly whether he had asked nicely for it, or if he had stole it - probably yelling over her shoulder promises that he would return it soon. Liz shook her head. This was not the time to be figuring out the minor details. Having reached the window again, cheeks red from exertion, Charlie continued, "Jane, I'm sorry! I was an idiot! I should have never left. I- I listened to some bad advice that I shouldn't have. But not now! Now I'm listening to myself and what I want. And I want to be with you!"

Jane delicately chewed at her lip. Liz knew this was all too much for her sister... too much going on too fast. Jane answered, "I don't know, Charlie..."

"I know you can never forgive me, but please, give me another chance! I won't ever hurt you again. I love you, Jane!"

Liz could almost sense the tears welling up in her twin's eyes, quickly dried by the rush of the moving bus. Jane was silent for but a second, before yelling back, "I love you too!"

A cheer went up around the bus, students laughing and clapping. This was the best bit of entertainment they had had on the bus all year - and knowing Santa Cruz transportation, that was saying a lot. Charlie grinned from ear to ear, his happiness practically radiating off him. This happiness was short lived as a second yield sign came into his path. A little distracted, he did not avoid it so easily this time. With a _THUD!_ he was no longer beside the bus, the bike having crashed and him rolling into the grass on the side of the road.

"Charlie!" Jane yelped, trying to lean further out of the bus but being limited by how far the windows open.

Liz reached for the line running above the row of windows and pulled several times, the bell ringing madly as she called, "Stop the bus!"

"Stop the bus!" a random student nearby seconded with a holler, before a whole chorus went up around the vehicle, demanding it come to a halt. The disgruntle bus driver, who had been glaring at Charlie's antics the entire time through his rear view mirror, grunted. He then begrudgingly put on the breaks, the bus slowing down to the side of the road. Jane bolted out the back doors the instant they swung open, Liz following, though not quite as quickly.

She hopped off the last step, choosing to stay back and watch as her sister ran over to Charlie. He could not have been that bad off, for he was shakily beginning sit up just as Jane skidded into a kneel beside him. He put a hand to his head as Jane put both of hers on his shoulders. She asked him something, her forehead creasing worriedly. He glanced up at her and nodded, giving her a reassuring half smirk. Jane then pounced on him with a hug that sent them both tumbling back down into the grass.

Liz just crossed her arms and smiled as she watched the scene. She heard the bus's engine roar louder behind her as it pulled away and left them behind. It did not matter. Liz suspected they were not going to be making that movie anyway.

* * *

"I knew she could not be so beautiful for nothing," Missy sighed blissfully.

Elbow on the table, chin propped in hand, Liz turned to eye Missy with a quirk of an eyebrow. "You know there's more to it than that, right?"

Rolling her eyes, Missy waved her hand absent-mindedly. "Oh sure, she's sweet and smart and blah blah blah. But come on, any girl _that_ pretty is bound to land a man who is equally handsome and rich to boot. It's the rules."

"Whatever you say, Missy," Liz shook her head. The two of them were seated at the dining room table back at their apartment. Jane and Charlie were in the living room, where Liz had wanted to give them some level of privacy, especially after Missy's display when they had walked through the front door. Once the squeals and jumping up and down had subsided, Liz had dragged her RA over to the dining room. There they had each taken a seat, joining Kitty and Lydia who had stopped only a moment to gawk at the couple in the living room, before talking quickly in animated whispers. George sat there too, not seeming to really care about the new arrivals. Currently, his still healing face was focused on his girlfriend's nails, as Lydia was apparently making him apply colorful polish to them. Missy ignored what little was going on at the table as her eyes kept wondering back to the living room.

"Well, that's two down," Missy said slyly, finally dragging her eyes away to peer down the table. "Mmm, technically two and half I guess, considering Mary has that scruffy theatre boy she's been bringing around. Won't be long for them either. That just leaves you two, Kitty and Liz." She gave them a sly, Cheshire cat grin as gears clearly began to turn in her mind.

"Speak for yourself," Kitty chimed in. "I got a date tonight."

Missy pouted slightly before asking, "Really? Anyone we know?"

She shrugged in response. "I dunno, maybe? It's a blind date."

A scoff emitted from Missy. "It'll probably end up like all the other boys you _dated_." She provided air quotes here. "We have to get you serious about someone."

"But I am trying to be serious!" Kitty insisted. "A friend of a friend set me up with him. I mean, this whole boyfriend thing Lydia has going on actually looks like it might be kinda fun." Lydia flashed a smug grin as George moved on to the next nail. Kitty continued, "Can't let her have all the fun."

Snorting, Missy crossed her arms, "I'll believe it when I see it." The redhead turned her calculating eyes onto Liz. "What about you?"

Folding her hands over one another atop the table, Liz shrugged. "Depends on who you ask. Talk to Miss De Bourgh, for example, and she'll have you think I'm on the verge of picking out china patterns."

A wrinkle creased Missy's forehead as she asked slowly, "Miss De Bourgh? Why...?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't heard yet. She came onto campus yesterday, storming and raging and steam pouring out of her ears, demanding to have a word with me. Apparently, she thought I was using my scheming, underhanded, feminine wiles trying to steal her daughter's fianc away."

"Who...?" She began, too bewildered to finish her own sentence.

Liz supplied with an amused smirk, "Will."

"Will? Will Darcy?"

"Yup. I got the feeling she was afraid he and I were gonna run off and elope or something."

"You-?" Missy started questioningly, letting Liz fill in the blank.

She shook her head, "Of course not. As much as I was enjoying her freaking out about it, I unfortunately finally told her I had no such plans. She then tried to get me to promise to never see Will again. Obviously, no one would agree to something so ridiculous, and I told her so. That only pissed her off more, so she tried to hit me."

"She-"

"Yup," Liz nodded. She then smiled wickedly. "I got out of the way in time, and she fell into the koi pond. And that's where this delightful little tale ends."

Missy stared at her in horror, searching her face as if waiting for Liz to shout 'Fooled you!' Liz did not oblige her, only grinned impishly back. "You? She? Koi pond? Oh sh... what- It was like Missy had short circuited, stringing words together that did not actually go together and staring dazedly off into space. Then, as if something clicked in her mind, her eyes focused and she yelled, "_LUC!_ Which did not help much, as Luc was out at class at the moment. A few seconds passed before she seemed to realize that. Then she muttered to no one in particular, "Crap, she's Luc's distant relative. He'll know how to fix this. I must find my phone!" And then she bolted out of her chair, down the hall and into her room.

Liz glanced at Kitty and Lydia, who were snickering. It was good to know that Missy was the only one freaking out. _I mean, come on, some rich lady took a swim in the school fountain, what's the big deal?_ Liz mused. Out of the corner of her eye, she then noticed that Jane had risen from the couch and was walking over to join her. Charlie, phone in hand, smiled at Jane before stepping out the front door.

"Charlie and I are going to head downtown, grab a bite to eat, possibly catch a movie... though maybe not, we still have a lot to talk about," Jane told her, almost oblivious to the huge smile across her own face. It would seem she was still on a high from her reunion with Charlie, and her happiness could not be contained.

"Hmm... town, food, movie... sounds like plans I had with a sister of mine barely an hour ago," Liz smirked.

Jane's smile wilted slightly, a twinge of guilt settling in. She hesitated, glancing at the front door, and then back at Liz, before saying, "You... can come too, of course... if you want..."

Laughing, Liz said, "I was only teasing, sis, geeze, don't feel like you have to strain yourself." Jane looked like she was about to object again, but Liz shook her head, "No, really, it's fine. It has been ages since you two have seen each other, I can totally understand if you want some alone time to... _talk_." She emphasized the last word, wiggling her eyebrows, suggesting they were going to be doing a lot more than just talking. She heard some muffled snorts from Lydia and Kitty beside her.

"Liz," Jane admonished quietly, her cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink.

"Go, have fun. I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. I'm sure he's already cleared up any misunderstandings between you."

"For the most part, he's explained it," Jane answered with a nod before frowning slightly. "He told me that back in Fall quarter, some people told him I didn't really care about him, that I was just after his money. He feels an idiot for having listened to them, and admits he was a jerk for not even talking to me before leaving. He was miserable while we were apart... I almost feel that he may have been worse off than I was. I think... that one of those people was his sister, Carol."

"He didn't tell you?" Liz asked, keeping her face carefully neutral.

Jane shrugged. "He would have if I asked, but somehow, I didn't really care. It didn't seem to matter, all that matters is that we're back together now, and he plans to spend forever making it up to me, if that's what it takes. I know, I _know_, he will never hurt me again." A slow, slightly mischievous smirk spread across Jane's lips. "Doesn't mean I've let him off the hook quite yet."

"Go, sis, make your man suffer. Give me five!" Liz put her hand out, to which she obliged with a light clap after giving an amused eye roll.

"Oh Liz, I'm so happy! I just can't even begin to describe... I only wish you would find a guy that would make you just as happy."

"Hey, I'm not an old maid yet. Besides, hello, it's the twentieth century, women movement and all that. I don't need a man, I can make my own happiness," Liz quipped. She then eyed the front door curiously. "What's your boy doing anyway?"

"Just giving Will a call to let him know we probably won't be meeting up with them later."

As if he had timed it, Charlie leaned his head through the front door at that second. "All set. Will and Giana are just going to head to the boardwalk tonight instead, since she's never been there."

Jane smiled at him. "Be there in a sec." She then turned back and placed her hand on one of Liz's as she asked, "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Giving her twin's hand a squeeze, she said, "As much fun as being an awkward third wheel sounds, I think I'll pass. Go have a blast." Jane grinned again before trotting quickly over to join Charlie, who beamed at her as she approached. The door shut behind them with a soft click.

Liz barely had time to stand up before she heard a knock. Raising an eyebrow at her roommates, she guessed, "Maybe Jane forgot her key?"

As Kitty rose from her seat as well, she answered, "Nope, it's more likely my blind date. Go answer it, Liz."

Crossing her arms, Liz gave a short, soft laugh. "Me? Why me, it's your date."

"Liz, don't you know anything?" Kitty tsked as she patted the brunette lightly on the head. "Never answer the door for your own date, that's what the help is for - i.e. you. Besides, I need to finish getting ready." She vanished around the corner, presumably to her room.

Rolling her eyes, Liz wondered why Kitty had not been getting ready for the past half hour and instead had just been sitting around, giggling with Lydia. Shrugging, she went to answer the door as a second knock came. She opened it to find a tall, young man, relaxed and leaning an elbow against the doorframe, casually dressed with jeans stylishly ripped, and his hair a messy cascade of bright, vibrant-

"Red!" She cried, surprised. She had, after all, not seen him since her disastrous visit to Rosings Park.

"Liz," Red greeted in response, his smile showing he was not nearly as surprised to see her. However, he did follow it with a raise of a curious eyebrow. "Or is it..." he hesitated while he squinted his eyes at something he had written on his hand, "...Kitty? Cause if you're Kitty, then you really have to meet my friend, she looks _just_ like you, it's uncanny."

Liz was too baffled to playfully smack his shoulder as she normally would have for his smart-alecky response. Instead, she asked, "You're Kitty's blind date?"

"Yup," he nodded with a chipper bob.

"Kitty? My apartment mate?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, is she? You tell me, you'd know better."

"But... who...?"

"Oh, before I forget," Red stated, reaching into his pocket, "you know Will's in town, right?" At Liz's slow nod, he continued, "Right, well, it seems I like playing at being Will's messenger whenever I'm around you. Here ya go." He retrieved a folded up piece of paper and handed it to Liz.

She took it almost mechanically, taking a second to glance over it. It was folded so she could not read its contents without opening it. It was also somewhat crumpled, as if it had been previously balled up and more recently had been smoothed out for its delivery. "Will asked you to give this to me?"

"Not exactly," Red stretched out his response a bit as he rocked on his feet. "More like, he'd been working on writing it for a bit, then got annoyed and frustrated with it and threw it in the trash. I figured it was for you, so I thought I'd be a goodly gent and have it sent to you. Keep in mind, it might be incomplete. Maybe whatever he was saying on this paper, he decided to just tell you in person instead. However, I didn't want to take the chance that he'd sucker out again, so brought it with me on my way to pick up Kitty. Speaking of which, where is my lovely date to be?"

"Here I am," came a sing-song reply from Kitty as she finally rejoined the living room, make-up applied to perfection.

Liz had only heard half of what Red had said as she had continued to study the paper, hardly seeing it. She was too lost in thought, still wondering at Red's appearance. Who had set up this blind date? It could only be one person, right? It had to be him. Who else could it be? Too wrapped up in these questions, she missed Kitty greeting Red and his responding flattery that often accompanied first dates. She almost missed them going out the front door all together, but finally snapped back to the present long enough to splutter, "Wait! Kitty, was it- who set you two up?"

Kitty cocked her head to one side as she eyed Liz, before responding, "Lydia, who else?"

"Lydia?" Liz blinked, bemused. _That_ was certainly not who she had been thinking of. As Red gave her a friendly wave good bye before the couple headed out on their date, Liz slowly turned to Lydia for answers. She suppressed the slight twinge of disappointment she felt and focusing more on her own bewilderment.

"Hm?" was Lydia's non-committal response as she, with her free hand, flipped through a magazine.

"You? You set up Kitty and Red?"

She shrugged, "Yeah, so?"

"But... do you even know Red?" Liz questioned, her head tilted to one side.

"Nope."

There was a few seconds of silence afterward as Liz waited for Lydia to elaborate, which it appeared was not going to happen. Letting out a grating sigh, Liz asked, "Well? Then how...?"

"Kitty needed a decent guy to be set up. It was the least Will could do for me, after beating up my boyfriend n' all- Hey! Paint the nail, not my finger!" Lydia whined in annoyance at George, who apparently had gone astray with the nail polish. He did not seem to notice, as he was now scowling at Lydia.

"Will?" Liz breathed, her eyes widening.

Clapping a hand over her mouth, Lydia winced. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to bring him up."

"No, you weren't," George growled, shoving the tiny polish paintbrush back into the bottle.

"Oh, shaddup you, or I'll make you paint my toe nails too," Lydia snapped. George rolled his eyes and just let out an incoherent grumble.

"Back up a bit," Liz said, glancing between them then settling her gaze upon Lydia. "What's this about Will beating George up?"

Lydia bit her lower lip indecisively. "Well, it was supposed to be a secret..."

"Too late for that now, isn't it?" George muttered. Lydia thrust her down turned hand into his face, and with a grunt, he took it none too gently and went back to work applying the polish.

Liz continued to stare at Lydia intently, waiting for an explanation. Finally, Lydia said, "Fine. When George and I ran off together, it was Will who made us come back. He tracked us down - and I don't even know how he did that, he must be friggin' inhuman or something. Anyway, he barged on in and told us to stop being stupid and to not throw away our futures. Then George got all macho and tried to start something, so they got into this huge ol' fight, and I'm talking punching and knocking stuff over and breaking lamps, the works. If I didn't know any better, I'd say those two have a history." George made a soft 'Tch' sound, but said nothing more. Liz stayed tight lipped and shrugged.

"So yeah," Lydia continued, "major brawl between the two. Will won." _No shit,_ Liz mused, glancing over the still healing bruises on his face. Thinking back to the brief moment she had seen Will earlier, she could not recall even a scratch on him. Though... maybe his knuckles had been bruised? Now she was not sure... "I eventually broke them up, protecting George with my body."

"No one asked you to," George grumbled in displeased embarrassment.

"Hush up and be grateful," Lydia stated huffily. "Will finally agreed to let up if I called my parents. At first, I thought I got the better end of the deal on that, but then my parents went into all that junk about taking my trust fund away from me and blah blah blah, so I agreed to come back. Before we parted ways with Will though, he had a talk with George... something about if he ever tried to hurt me or any other girl in the future, he'd be back and he wouldn't go so easy the next time. Geeze, so dramatic. And not that my Georgie-Sweetie would ever think of harming me, isn't that right?"

George grimaced and glanced away, "No, of course not."

"Obviously, 'cause we're so in _love_, isn't that..."

Liz did not hear the rest of what Lydia was saying, for she had begun running back to her room. She did, however, hear one final yell from Lydia, "If you see Will any time soon, be sure to tell him to keep his psycho ass away from George!"

Liz closed the door behind her without answering, her heart racing. Was it true? It had to be, why would Lydia lie about something like that? She could not have made it up either, Lydia was not that imaginative. But still, it was hard to believe Will had gone all the way down there, beat George up, saved her friend... all for what? For revenge? Or... for her? Impossible, hadn't she already ruined everything between her in Will, not once, but multiple times?

She needed more answers. And she knew who to get them from. Grabbing her cell phone, she located a certain contact in her list and hit dial.

_'What is this, International Interrupt My Classes Day?'_ came Luc's disgruntled voice through Liz's phone. _'First, Missy rings my cell over and over again and will NOT quit until I answer. Now I'm getting a call from you. I'm pretty sure I am now officially on the bad side of my professor and am going to have to work my ass off to pass this class now.'_

"Save it, Luc, I know you can pass that course blind-folded," Liz responded with a roll of her eyes.

_'True... but it does help if the professor is not holding a grudge against you because your phone keeps going off in his class and you keep having to leave the room. Oh, by the way, Missy had quite a rant... something about you making my very rich, very distant aunt take a swim with the fishies?'_

Liz snorted, "I'll fill you in on that later. Now. Lydia. George. You. Will. In Riverside. Go on, spill. Fill in the blanks for me."

There was a brief second where Luc did not respond and Liz almost thought she the call had been disconnected. However, Luc finally said slowly, _'I'm not sure what you're talking-'_

"Don't give me that, you know _exactly_ what I am talking about. Will was in Riverside at the same time you were trying to hunt down Lydia and George."

There was a long, reluctant sigh, then he asked, _'Who told you?'_

"Lydia."

_'I should have known. Lydia can't keep a secret to save her life.'_

"Luckily for me," Liz gloated. "Although, I may have eventually figured it out, I thought there was something off about your story... you ran into Will, didn't you?"

Another pause ensued, although more brief this time, where Liz could almost sense Luc's hesitant nod. _'Yeah. It was right after you left me that message with the phone number you discovered.'_

Liz let out a triumphant, "Ah ha! I _knew_ that was a real number, not disconnected or linked to someone who had no idea what was going on or any other excuse you tried to feed me."

_'Yeah, it ended up being real. But I didn't end up going with Will to get in on the righteous smack down action. He said it would be better if I went back and he took care of it instead. When I argued that it was my sister in trouble, he said he would make sure she was safe, but that this was his mess, and it was time he cleaned it up himself... whatever that meant.'_

Liz closed her eyes as she listened. "Thank you, Luc, for telling me. But... why all the secrecy? Why couldn't you just tell me what happened in the first place?"

_'Will asked me not to tell anyone what really happened,'_ Luc's voice explained. _'I don't know why, and I was annoyed that he wasn't letting me help, so I had half a mind to tell everyone anyway. But then I decided to wait, just for a day even, to see what happened. When I saw my sister back, safe and whole and happy, plus her jackass of a boyfriend beaten to within an inch of his life, I knew then I had to do my best to keep my word. It was the least I could do. And might I say, I was doing a damn good job until Lydia spilled the beans.'_

Liz let out a soft chuckle. "Well, thanks again, Luc. I suppose I can let you get back to your classes now, free of anymore calls, at least from me."

Luc ended the call with a, _'Much obliged, little lady.'_ As Liz snapped her phone shut, her eyebrows furrowed. That phone called had answered some questions, but there were still many left. Apparently, Will had said he had done this to clean up his mess, but was that all it was? Tying up loose ends? And why had Will not wanted Luc to tell anyone?

Liz glanced around herself and realized for the first time she was sitting on her floor, leaning back against her door. She did not know when this had happened, all she remembered, all that had seemed important, was getting to her room, getting some privacy, so she could get some answers out of Luc. Her phone now rested in one hand that lay on the floor to one side of her. And in her other hand... was the note! The one Red had given her! He had said was from Will. She had almost forgotten about it. What did it contain, the answers she was looking for, or only more questions? There was only one way to find out. Eagerly, she began to unfold it.

_Dear Elizabeth,_

_If you are wondering about the purpose of this letter, you are not alone... I'm not even sure if I am going to give this to you, if this is even an actual letter or more just a way to figure out exactly what I'm going to say._

_I know Lydia is back where she belongs and I am glad that she is safe and sound. But... I hate the way things were left between us that last time we saw each other. I know I should have said more, done something, reacted in some way instead of just standing there like an idiot... and I know that you were upset, and didn't mean the things you said. At least, I hope you didn't._

_Ever since our fight at Rosings Park, I had been replaying our conversation over and over again in my head, thinking of a thousand different ways I could have handled it better. I hate that other letter I wrote you, some of the things I said in it... but there were some things you had to know. I have been in such a dark place ever since then... I had given up on ever seeing you again, of making sure I made things right. But when you showed up practically on my doorstep, I knew this was my second chance. I had to make you see that I wasn't really the monstrous jerk I had been acting like. On a side note, you must know that Giana is absolutely crazy about you, and your whole visit seemed to be going so well... it all... well, it caused me to hope again._

_I know you are not the type to lead someone on. And if you feel the same way you did last Christmas... if you are still all but repulsed by me, please tell me and I will never bring this up again. But I_

And then it ended. The letter, it just ended right there. Liz blinked, and flipped it back and forth frantically, looking for the rest of it. But that was it: _But I_.

_Red did say it might be incomplete,_ Liz recalled, but that did not make her feel any better. She read over his words again, sensing the struggle behind each line, as if he had been searching for what to say and had been having difficulty. Running her fingers over the wrinkles in the paper, she could almost imagine Will as he stopped writing in frustration and just balled up the note and threw it into a trash.

Letting out a breath slowly that she had not realized she had been holding, Liz finally knew. She knew what Will had been going to write, what his feelings were, despite his unfinished letter. She knew her answer, her own feelings. Some part of her had known all along, but she had been too afraid to admit, too scared of rejection, scared that she had ruined everything beyond all salvation. But now...

She had to talk to Will. No more stalling, no more letting those stupid knots in her stomach get the better of her. This man had already laid his heart before her, not once but twice, only to have it tromped all over both times. He had been chasing after her all this time, and he was crazy enough to consider trying again. But now, it was Liz's turn to do the chasing.

Taking up her phone once more, she dialed a number, the one she had only added to her contacts earlier that very day.

_'Hi, you've reached Giana's cell. I'm not answering my phone right now, either I'm not available or maybe I just plain don't like you. Please leave-'_

Liz snapped her phone shut, cutting off Giana's voicemail response and scoffing in annoyance. Seeing as she had got that automated response almost immediately, either Giana's phone was out of service or turned off.

She briefly considered calling Jane and seeing if she could get Will's number from Charlie, but the couple had _just_ been reunited. This was the first time they had been alone together in ages, Liz did not want to interrupt that with her own issues.

Scratching her head, Liz thought back. _Where was it that Charlie said they were? The boardwalk...?_ She mulled over that for a second, before snapping her fingers. She then dialed Charlotte's phone.

She knew what she needed to do now... but it required a ride first!

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Oh, all the cheesiness. I knew for a very long time that I always wanted Jane and Charlie's reconciliation to be one of those silly, romantic comedy type of things, so I am pleased with the goofy, sappiness of it all. Plus the other random pairings I threw in, because I felt like it. You don't like it 'cause it's not canon? Too bad! Otherwise, if you do like it, then yay!

Oh. Em. Gee. Only one chapter to go! Some thought this day would never come... and to be fair, it has still yet to come. But! It is only right around the corner. I hope to have it up roughly a month from now, if not sooner. You know me though, it could be longer, tho I will try my damnedest not to procrastinate! Fear not, I've made it this far, and I will _definitely_ finish this story as soon as I am able!

Side note, Bad Ass Coffee, the coffee shop that is a REAL coffee shop and that I referenced in this story, is no longer in downtown Santa Cruz. Sad. I never really frequented there, but still, it feels weird without it there now. It did however get replaced with a Joe's Pizza and Sub, which provide me with baklava, so that appeases me somewhat. Mmm baklava.

Another side note, it has come to my attention that some of my previous chapters used to have line breaks that divided each chapter up into sections. Those custom made line breaks, not the built in feature to the editor program, have since gone missing, mushing the sections of my chapters together in ways I don't like. So, over the next week-ish, I'm going to be trying to fix those chapters so they will reappear as they were originally intended, custom line breaks and all. It has been a while since I have mucked around with chapter editing though, so I fear it may accidentally send out announcements that a "new chapter has come out!" or something whenever I make changes to an old chapter. Ignore those if you get them, they will be lies and deceit. I will try to avoid it, but keep in mind, you have been warned!


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N:**_

Oh...

Em...

Gee...

* * *

Chapter 28

_Think calming thoughts, think nice, warm, fuzzy calming thoughts... puppies... kittens... baklava... sleeping in on the weekend in my cozy, safe bed-_

"Why are your eyes closed, silly? You're missing the beautiful Santa Cruz night life!" Charlotte's voice broke through Liz's thoughts.

Eyes still firmly squeezed shut, Liz responded, "I think I would still be missing it, even if I did open them. Everything would blur together, since we're traveling at ten times the speed of light!"

Charlotte scoffed. "You said to go fast!"

"Yes, I did, which is why I am keeping my eyes closed. If I saw the number of things I know we've almost crashed into, I'd be screaming and demanding we slow down." She pointed in the general direction of her face, "Thus, eyes closed. Can't be afraid of what I can't see." She cringed as she heard the screech of wheels, followed by the furious honk of a car horn that faded off behind them. She added in a mutter, "Ear plugs woulda helped too..."

Liz did not know how she had managed to convince herself to get into a car with Charlotte at the wheel ever again. But there she was, sitting in the passenger seat of Charlotte's Porsche, going at break neck speeds. She had not gotten in it since their visit to Rosings Park. Since that had been a couple months ago now, maybe Liz had assumed Charlotte's driving had improved, that she had honed her skills. That assumption was being proved dead wrong now. If anything, it felt like it had gotten even more daredevil. However, Liz's options had either been this or riding the bus downtown. At the time, the bus had seem to be the least appealing of the two options, given the number of stops it would have to make and taking traffic into account. Now Liz was second guessing that decision. She did not even want to look at how many miles per hour Charlotte was going. In fact, she did not want to look at anything - she just kept her eyes closed and hung on for dear life, waiting for it to be over.

"I'm so glad this is _finally_ happening!" She heard Charlotte squeal in delight.

She also heard the distinct sound of clapping. _Charlotte... clapping... while steering... how...?_ Shaking that disturbing thought out of her head and once more glad she could not see anything, Liz asked, "Finally?"

"Oh yeah, I've known this has been coming for ages. It's about damn time you two got together!"

"For ages? How? I've only known for the past few minutes!" Liz protested, before stifling a yelp as the car jerked into a frighteningly sharp turn.

"Ha. You're so blind, Miss Eliza," Charlotte's voice teased with a snort. "I saw the way you two were always looking at each other. Plus, I caught you two in that closet together, supposedly by _accident_. Yeah. Right. Trust me, even if you didn't know your feelings all this time, you've _known_ it, at least on some level."

Liz's forehead scrunched up in confusion. "Okay... sure, if you say so," Liz drawled. Swearing she could smell rubber burning, Liz's hand searched for and began to fidget with her necklace. The necklace Will had given her. While she had been waiting for Charlotte to pick her up, she had snatched it off her desk, where it had been residing since her return from her trip. She had gone to the bathroom to put it on, only to let it slip off her neck, reminding her she had still not fixed the latch. In a spur of the moment decision and for lack of anything better, she had unreeled several inches of floss, strung the tear-shaped emerald pendant onto it, and had firmly tied it around her neck. It was not great, but it would have to do for now.

After listening to the tires shriek in protest a few times, Liz decided she needed to distract herself. Some small talk was in order. "I hope this isn't going to make life difficult with your future mother-in-law."

"Miss De Bourgh?" Charlotte snorted. "Life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park since a certain someone threw her in fountain."

Managing a wince even with her eye lids lowered, Liz said, "Oh yah, that... she hasn't been taking it out on you, has she? And to be fair, I didn't _throw_ her in..."

Charlotte let a mischievous giggle. "Don't sweat it. Trust me, there are some days I wish I could push her in a fountain... or off a cliff... but anyway, while she hasn't been Little Miss Ray of Sunshine, it has not directed at me or any one thing in particular. She'll get over it. She likes to talk about all these connections she has and what she's gonna do, but she never does anything. The lady is the very definition of an old windbag."

"What about Collin?"

"He's been busy trying to calm his mother down, waiting on her hand and foot... oh, he sends a dirty look my way from time to time, as if I have any control over my best friend's actions. Don't worry though, I have my own dirty look to rival his, one that usually sends him running with his tail between his legs."

Forgetting for a moment that this car felt more like a deadly roller coaster ride than a short trip downtown, Liz let out a laugh at that. "I don't doubt that you can handle those two. But... when Miss De Bourgh hears about Will and me..."

Feeling a friendly punch to her shoulder, Liz heard Charlotte say, "Don't worry about that, I'm not. I'm too busy thinking about what cute kids you and Will are gonna have."

"Woah, wait, _kids_? No one said anything about-" Liz made the mistake of opening her eyes, and quickly regretted it. Her sentence ended in a yelp as Charlotte, wanting to pass a car that was going at the slow speed of merely 80 miles per hour, swerved into the oncoming traffic lane, a huge semi-truck going the other direction greeting them. Liz threw her hands over her head, not knowing or even having the presence of mind to even care if that would really even protect her.

However, seconds passed where Liz did not hear the metallic, bone crunching sound of their crash, as she had expected. Instead, she heard the semi's horn passing them and fading off behind them. Then she heard hysterical snorts of laughter coming from Charlotte, followed with, "You're so silly!"

Not dignifying that with a response, Liz instead focused on calming her breathing down. How they had gotten out of that one without a scratch was beyond Liz. Either Charlotte was a driving genius or just plain mad. Either way, Liz knew one thing for certain. _Never again,_ she thought. _This is the last time I willingly get into a car with her driving._

She then felt a strange sensation. It took her a second to recognize it as the car slowing down and coming to a stop. She hardly recognized the feeling of not being in motion.

"You can open your eyes now. We're here!"

Arms still squeezed protectively around her head, she shifted an elbow to peep out. Blinking once, she first confirmed they were indeed parked, with the headlights of the cars in traffic whizzing by them. She scowled - as much as she could with her one visible eye - at Charlotte's teasing smirk. Finally, Liz noticed they were parked right in front of Neptune's Kingdom. The boardwalk just lay on the other side.

"In all seriousness," Charlotte said as Liz finally relaxed her arms, "I'm really happy for you. Not everyone can find who they are supposed to be with, but I think you've been lucky enough to do just that. Sure, you can be stubborn sometimes... kind of a loud mouth... and you seem to enjoy sticking your foot in your mouth, plus sometimes you can be just plain dense-"

"Does this have a point?" Liz arched an eyebrow.

"Don't screw it up," Charlotte put it simply.

One corner of her mouth quirking up, Liz said, "Thanks for the pep talk."

"Any time," she responded, before pulling her friend into a tight hug. She then nudged Liz out of the car, "Go on, scoot."

Liz closed the Porsche's door behind her and took a few hesitant steps away. Now that she was here, her resolve was shaken a bit as doubt and nervousness seeped in. But there was something else... excitement, anticipation, longing... and something more that she could not quite put her finger on. But the more she thought about it, the harder it became to just stay still. She took a second to glance back at Charlotte. The chocolate-haired girl was leaning back in her seat, grinning knowingly. "Go on. Run. You know you want to."

Liz needed no further encouragement.

Before she even realized it, her feet were pounding on the ground, digging into each step as they propelled her forward as fast as she could move. She was in Neptune's Kingdom in half a second and all the tacky glow of all its arcade games blurred together, all its noises and jingles muddled into indiscernible sounds. None of it mattered, all that was important was the people. Even as every stranger's face melded into the background, even as Liz pushed passed people while others jumped out of her way, she checked each of them, looking for the one. That one important face that she needed to find, that she needed to talk to, that she... just needed.

She charged through the arcade, stumbling over a few teenagers here and there and offering a hasty apology over her shoulder without even stopping. It was not long before she burst out the doors on the other side of the building, onto the boardwalk. Though she had scrutinized every face she had passed in her sprint, she hardly could fool herself into believe she had checked every single person in there. Still, she kept running. She could not doubt, could not hesitate. She had to trust this unexplainable feeling she had. The feeling that told her if she just kept going, she would find him. Her necklace bounced against her collarbone with each step, reassuring her in a way and urging her on.

The sun had set not too long ago and the night was still young. Neon lights of reds, blues, greens and seemingly hundreds of other colors lit up the beachside park, decorating the rides and flashing on large signs. Beyond the park, the darkened waves of the ocean hit the shore, reflecting the glow of the pier and the first few emerging stars. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk could be quite a sight to see at night, if one were actually paying attention. But Liz saw none of it as she still searched each new face, picking up speed determinedly with each stranger she ran past. It was crowded that night, but Liz refused to let the daunting task slow her down as the minutes went by and she covered more ground.

_There!_ She felt her heart skip a beat when she spotted him. _Will!_ His back was turned as he eyed one of the mini games, but there was no mistaking his slender height or his long, golden hair. It had to be him! Not pausing for even a second more of thought, Liz shouldered her way through the rest of the people gathered around the flamboyantly illuminated game and placed a somewhat trembling hand on his arm. "Will-"

He turned around. Or rather, she. The tall girl, rich blond hair swept behind her ear, regarded Liz with a bland look. She then cast her eyes briefly at Liz's hand, which still grasped at her forearm, before raising an unamused eyebrow.

Embarrassed, Liz quickly retracted her hand as if she had been burnt. How had she confused this girl for Will? Or even for a guy? Taking in her appearance at a quick glance, Liz noticed that the stranger _was_ wearing a bulky, black jacket. That could have made it harder to discern a gender. Even considering that, Liz doubted the girl would appreciate being mistaken for a boy. She was already beginning to look a little annoyed, apparently expecting some sort of explanation and getting impatient.

"Will..." Liz said a second time, dragging it out as her mind reached and came up blank. Trying it again, she blurted out, "Will you... direct me to the boardwalk?" Her question was followed closely with a wince.

The blond looked at her like she was stupid. But really, who wouldn't? "Um... you're at it already," she answered. Liz could almost hear the unspoken 'dumbass' at the end of the sentence.

"Oh." Making a show of looking around and nodding in satisfaction, Liz responded, "Thanks." Plastering a polite and almost disturbingly large grin on her face, Liz backed up a few steps. She then turned and bolted.

Liz fought to keep a frown off her face as she ran, fought to keep from being disheartened. What was one mistake? It was merely a setback. Not even a setback, more of a delay rather. It did not mean anything. She would find Will. She _would_. She just needed... higher ground! That was it! Liz was not exactly short, but plenty of taller people were around, blocking her view.

Spotting a bench, Liz blundered through a few more park goers as she dashed for it. It was already occupied by several people crammed into it, but Liz was not to be deterred. "Sorry," she mumbled as she wedged a foot in between a pair of the sitters and used that to leverage herself onto the bench's back. With that, she raised a hand to shield her eyes - a useless gesture since the sun had gone to bed and the decorative lights were hardly blinding - and took a wide, sweeping view of the area. While she did get a better view of the nearby people, or rather the sea of bobbing heads, there was still no Will. _I'm not seeing far enough,_ Liz thought obstinately. _Higher... I must get higher._

Her eyes fell upon the stairs leading up to the Sky Glider ride. _Perfect_. The stairs alone were enough. As good idea as getting on the Sky Glider seemed in itself, the ride went too slowly and if she did manage to spot Will while in one of its carts, there was no hopping out in the middle of it... it was a _long_ way down after all.

Hopping off the back of the bench and ignoring the irritated comments of the sitters behind her, she pushed her tired legs to start running once more. As she pushed her way up the steps, the fact that she was not in the best of shape started to kick in more and her breathing started to come out in puffs, her knees wobbling slightly. She was just thankful there was not a huge line leading up to the Sky Glider. _I have run over enough people for one night, thank you,_ she mused. Now she just needed to get to the top and survey the area. Sure, she still would not be able to see the whole boardwalk, but she would be able to see a lot more of it. If it did not tell her where Will was, she could at least rule out where he was not. Just one more step and-

Liz was suddenly face first on the pavement. Her chin and the palms of her hands stung and her knees were sore. Through her daze, it took her a few seconds to realize she tripped and landed on the ground, her hands barely having saved her from going completely head first. Groaning, she did not get up right away. Instead she lifted an aching arm and ran her thumb over the part of her chin that was burning. When she pulled it away, she saw flecks of blood. Lovely.

"You okay, Miss?" Came a slightly nasally voice from behind her.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see that the voice belonged to one of the boardwalk employees, probably the one who was currently running the Sky Glider. "Yeah," Liz answered in a grunt. "Just dandy."

"Do you need any help up?" the teenager asked.

"No, but thanks." Liz did not get up right away. From her position lying on top of the platform, she had a perfect view of the boardwalk beneath her. There was a metal fence only a few inches from her, to protect people from falling, but there was a gap underneath it that gave Liz a perfect view of the throngs of tourists walking by. She felt the corner of her eyes begin to prickle. She was not sure if it was from the pain of her fall or from the disappointment, but she did not really care as she squeezed her eyes shut against it.

Had she really thought she would be able to find Will this way? How stupid could she be, there had to be hundreds of people here. Had she really been so naive to think that she would just happen to run into him? Heck, he may not even still be here - there was no rule anywhere stating that he had to stay at the boardwalk until she found him. He probably had already left long ago to go get dinner with his sister. _Geeze, could I have been anymore-_

"Are you sure you do not need a hand?" came the same voice of the ride operator.

Suppressing a growl of annoyance, she mumbled, "I'm sure. The ground is comfy, I'm just gonna lay here a bit, if you don't mind."

"Um... okay, I guess," came his perplexed response, before she heard him wonder off to help the next couple in line onto the ride.

_Now he thinks you're weird. Probably because you ARE,_ Liz berated herself. But she could not really get up the energy to care. Her eyes opened once more and she scowled at the people below. How had she ever thought she would be able to find him in that mess? Narrowing her gaze in on someone, she thought bitterly, _There's even another blond head of hair trying to trick me into believing it's Will again. But nu uh, I'm not going to fall for that this time. Even if the wavy flow of hair next to it does a perfect impersonation of the back of Georgiana's head. Probably just a dude that doesn't know the meaning of the word 'haircut'. That's right you two, turn around, shatter the illusion. Huh... funny, even their eyes look-_

Liz had propped herself up on her elbows in half a second, and was on her feet in the other half, pressing against the chain link fence, her eyes wide with disbelief. It was them, really _them_ this time. She watched Will as if frozen, before realizing staring stupidly as he walked by would do her little good. And he would not see her on his own, he had no reason to look up. She briefly debated hopping the fence, but decided that would look a little desperate - oh, and she might break a leg when she hit the ground. Minor detail. Wisely, she opted for running back down the stairs, even if that would waste precious seconds.

She charged head first into the crowd, pushing her way past tourists without outright knocking them over. When she got to the spot where she had seen them, she looked around frantically. Everywhere she looked however were nothing but unfamiliar faces. She could not have imagined them, could she? _No, they were here!_ Could they have gotten away? _They would have had to run, and that's impossible in this crowd!_ They had to be here, they just had to be! _But where are they?_

As if to answer her unvoiced question, the droves of people chose that second to part, revealing them. Giana, playing one of the side games with a water gun. Will, arms crossed and off to one side, watching as his sister failed miserably at the game.

_Will!_ All noise drowned out around her, as none of it mattered anymore. Her feet pushed off into a run once more, hopefully for the last time that night, now that she had found him. She did not feel the ache in her tired legs or the throbbing in the cuts from when she tripped. The only complaint she had was that she could not seem to run fast enough.

Maybe it was the sound of her shoes or maybe it was some other unexplained sense that drew his attention, but Will turned his head, slowly at first then snapped fully around to face her, eyebrows raised in surprise. Voice colored with confusion, he started, "Eliz-?"

Not giving him a chance to get further, he let out a surprised _Oof!_ as Liz threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around behind his neck and, for the first time, she was the one to kiss him. She kissed him with all her being and all she had. She took all her feelings for him that she had been holding back, that she knew she had had for a long time, even back when she thought she hated him - she took everything she felt and put it into that kiss, knowing she could never even come close to expressing them as clearly in words. Will's posture stiffened, then she felt his frame slowly relax. He slowly drew his hands, shaking ever so slightly, to her waist, hugging her to him. He held on tight, as if she were a dream that he did not want to wake up from.

Much too soon she felt him pulling his lips away. Despite the interruption giving her a minute to breath in some much needed oxygen, Liz frowned up at him in disappointment. However, Will seemed just as annoyed that they had stopped, for he was directing a small scowl off to his right. Following his gaze, Liz saw Giana staring at them, her mini game forgotten, wide eyed, and a huge grin that contained a barely suppressed giggle.

Liz felt her face heat up and she tried to jump back from Will in her embarrassment. However, his arms were still wrapped firmly around her waist, keeping her held possessively to him.

"Do you mind?" Will asked his sister gruffly.

"Nu uh," Giana chirped with a perky little shake of her head, her smirk now becoming wicked. "Continue."

"_Giana,_" he hissed.

Reluctantly taking the hint, Giana glanced in the opposite direction. "Oh, look. Sand!" she said in over exaggerated excitement before jogging off to the beach.

Turning his head back to Liz, he began to scrutinize her face in concern. He lifted a hand to place his thumb delicately on her chin and she flinched when she felt a small, but sharp pain where his finger trailed over her cut. "What happened?"

Shrugging it off, Liz answered, "No biggie, the ground and I just got a little close and personal." Liz then smiled warmly up at Will. "I know you did it."

He eyed her with a hint of suspicion as he asked, "What did I do?"

"_All_ of it. Everything." Will still looked at her questioningly, so she elaborated, "You got Lydia to come back, you straightened out George-"

Will groaned with a slight wince. "You weren't supposed to know about that. Did Luc tell you? Because I asked him not to."

"Actually, Lydia did," Liz answered. At his drawn out sigh, Liz shrugged, "You should have known Lydia can't keep a secret to save her life. Luc filled in all the details, but only after Lydia had totally blown your cover first. I also know you got Charlie and Jane back together..."

"Really, they got themselves back together. All I told him is that I had been wrong and that I should never have gotten involved in their relationship. He was angry, but he seemed to blame himself more for having listened to me without much argument. The rest, he did himself."

"You still fixed your mistake, no matter what Charlie did afterwards," Liz beamed up at him. "Plus, you helped rescue Matthew and introduced him to Mary..."

Will shrugged, "I remember you wanted to help him, but just never really got the chance. I only nudged him in the right direction… and suggested a coffee shop."

"Uh huh," Liz answered in an amused, humoring tone. "You're a regular ol', matchmaking fairy god mother, ain't you?"

"Please don't call me that."

"But you are! You also set up Red and Kitty, which is awesome, but also kind of random."

"Red went with me when I went to see Charlie and Matthew. He started bugging me, saying that he felt left out and wanted to be set up with someone also," he rolled his eyes at that.

Liz smirked playfully at him. "_Also_, huh? So you _were_ setting everyone up."

"No," Will said quickly, "that's just was Red said."

Liz continued to smile knowingly, but did not push it. Instead, she hesitated for a second before telling him, "Thank you. For everything you did. Some of them will never know how much you did for them, and I'd hate it if you thought it wasn't appreciated and-"

He placed a finger to her lips, silencing her gently. "I don't care. No thanks is needed, from them or you."

"But I-"

"If you must thank me, let it be for yourself alone. I was only thinking of you the entire time."

She looked down, feeling her face redden slightly. She realized Will was still hugging her to him, and her face heated up some more. She quietly murmured, "I read your letter."

"What letter?" she heard him ask slowly.

"The one you just wrote, but didn't complete. The one you threw away."

"How did-?" He began, the cut himself off with a growl. "Damn it. Red?"

She gave a tiny nod, "Yeah, Red." She then cast her eyes up at him again and said softly, "I love you too."

She felt him go stock still against her as he took in a sharp, but barely audible breath. He stared at her unblinking, searching, every line on his face telling her he was not sure if he had heard her correctly. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips before she continued almost in a whisper, "That's what you were going to say, right? In your letter, if you had completed it instead of throwing it away, you were about to write that you loved me. Well... I love you too."

There was a silence that stretched on and enfolded the two of them. As they stared at each other, it was one of those moments where they felt like they were the only two people in the world, even though there was a whole park full of noisy human beings constantly walking past them. But those people did not matter, all that mattered was each other. Slowly, Will brought his hands to Liz's face, caressing her cheeks with his warm fingers and gently pulling her face to him as he leaned forward.

"No, you _dolt_! You're supposed to say you love her _back_ and _then_ you kiss her!"

Liz blanched, Will's eyes narrowed, moment was shattered. They both haltingly turned their heads to see that Giana had rejoined them, her arms crossed in disapproval at her brother. However, she was struggling to keep a teasing smirk off her face.

Will was not amused. "Giana," was all he said, but it was all he had to say, for it was dangerously quiet and held all the promise of death and dismemberment. It wiped the grin right off her face.

Giana quickly turned around and exclaimed, "Hey, look! There's _water_ by that sand! A_maz_ing!" And she was gone once more, faster than a blink of an eye.

Will shook his head as he looked back at Liz, not meeting her eyes right away. Rather, his eyes fell just below her chin as something caught his interest there. Raising his hand, Liz felt his hand brush against her neck as he placed a finger under the pendent she wore so it caught the light better. It felt like he had given her that necklace so very long ago. If he noticed that it was secured with floss, he did not say anything. Instead, his striking green eyes traced up her face to look into her own once more, and he smiled. It was one of those rare smiles that Will hardly ever wore, one that made Liz feel it was meant only for her. It took her breath away.

"I love you too," he told her finally, tenderly. Before she could respond - he knew her answer anyway - he pulled her in her in for a kiss. And for once, it was not interrupted by anyone or anything, nor did it end in a fight or someone's nose bleeding. It _did_ almost crumple apart when Liz could not stop smiling against his lips, but he did not let that spoil it as he continued to thoroughly kiss her. It had been a long, strange trip that had brought them to this point, and without a doubt there would still be a few minor bumps in the road to come. But somehow none of that, past or future, mattered to them now. They were in each other's arms, where they belonged, and nothing would tear them apart. She may have loved hating him when they first met, but she got the feeling she would enjoy just simply loving him a lot more.

_The End_

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_**A/N: **_YAY! I can't believe this story is finally done. I've been working on it for over 4 years, and it feels really weird to finally set it to "Complete". I'll have you know, this is the first multi-chapter story (fanfic or my of my own imagination or otherwise) that I have ever completed, so this is a huge milestone for me. It feels really good :)

I hope the ending didn't disappoint. I liked it, but I wasn't sure what everyone else's take would be on it. Since as I mentioned this is the first long story I've ever completed, this is also the first time I've ever written an ending! And I can definitely tell, endings are hard. Endings with ifluff/i are especially hard. I've never really been good at the fluff part, I'm more of a banter kind of gal. But still, hope you guys enjoyed this all the same.

One more final thank you to all the people out their who read, reviewed, favorited, and alerted my story! I feel really honored to have had people who have been here since I've started and have been patient enough to stick with me all the way through the end, rooting me on. Hugs and kisses and much love to you all, without you guys, I doubt I would have ever finished this story.

As for what's next for me, I may or may not be back with another fanfic. Please visit my profile page for more information. I feel I've rambled on long enough here, so I'll continue over there. One more time, thank you so much to you all, and hopefully see you next time!

-juuromaru


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